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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/05/AR2006040502158.html
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https://web.archive.org/web/2006040819id_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/05/AR2006040502158.html
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Centrist Faces the GOP's Iraq Problem
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NORWALK, Conn. -- How nervous are Republicans that the Iraq war could hurt them in November? Nervous enough that Rep. Christopher Shays visited the same senior center twice in one week to defend his stand.
The nine-term House veteran is in full campaign mode, explaining his unbending support for the war to confounded voters such as Anne Donnelly, a resident of the Marvin. She has supported Shays in previous elections but complained that his bullish stance on Iraq seemed at odds with news reports that portray a country in a tailspin.
"It'll take a miracle to get out of there," Donnelly told her tablemates as Shays worked his way around the dining room recently. "This is a mess, and we need people asking questions -- which I don't think the Republicans are doing."
For nearly 20 years, Shays has distinguished himself as a reliably moderate House Republican. His middle-of-the-road stands on the environment, abortion and gay rights have irked many in his conservative party while affording him job security in his affluent, Democratic-leaning district. Not so with Iraq, the "sentinel issue of our time," as Shays describes it. He has strayed deep into loyalist GOP territory, and that could cost him his job.
Just yesterday, during President Bush's trip to Bridgeport, Conn., to tout his health-care initiatives, Bush's motorcade passed about 150 noisy protesters holding signs that read "Bush and Shays, the war is wrong" and "Bring the troops home now."
Shays has an aggressive and seasoned Democratic opponent, Diane Farrell, who lost by four percentage points when she challenged Shays in 2004 and who talks about the war at every public event. "Oh, sure, now he sounds frustrated," she said of Shays. "But it's too little, too late."
Poll after poll shows that voters are increasingly agitated by the rise in sectarian violence, escalating cost and open-ended U.S. commitment in Iraq. They consider the war the most important issue facing the country today. In Shays's district, the frustration bubbles up in direct conversations or in sidebar debates such as the one at Donnelly's table, involving four women over 80 years old, most of whom like Shays.
Dozens of Republican incumbents in the House and Senate are feeling voter wrath over Iraq. "Whenever you're at war and you've got 135,000 of our young men and women overseas, it is unsettling to Americans," House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) conceded to reporters recently. "I think we understand that." Even Bush granted at a recent news conference that the conflict had stirred "a certain unease as you head into an election year."
But Republican and Democratic political operatives agree that, come November, the Shays-Farrell contest is the one most likely to turn on voter perceptions of Iraq. Shays's strategy is to try to offset his support with a forceful criticism of Bush's conduct of the war. "I don't want to lose an election," said Shays, who plans to make his 12th visit to Iraq this month. "But I look at an issue like the war, and I have to sleep at night."
He ticked off a series of mistakes he thinks the Bush team made, including disbanding the Iraqi military and deploying too few U.S. troops. But Shays asserts, "I believe that history will ultimately catch up with the president." And if voters turn him out for believing that, "I don't care. I can't care."
Democrats are no more unified on the war than Republicans. Farrell calls the war "an utter disaster" but sidestepped a question on whether she would have voted, along with Shays and many Democrats, to authorize the Iraq invasion. "I would have demanded more information," she said.
She argues that Republicans have failed miserably in their role as legislative overseers, providing the White House with an open wallet without asking any hard questions. "It's one-party rule," Farrell said. "Chris's script and the president's script are the same."
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Latest politics news headlines from Washington DC. Follow 2006 elections, campaigns, Democrats, Republicans, political cartoons, opinions from The Washington Post. Features government policy, government tech, political analysis and reports.
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Parent Bloggers Face Off
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Moms have been struggling for years to find a workable balance between their jobs and raising their children. And now, more and more dads are tuning in, playing more active roles and struggling with the same issues.
Ask author and blogger Leslie Morgan Steiner and blogger Brian Reid their opinions. Steiner is the author of the anthology "The Mommy Wars," and the On Balance blog on washingtonpost.com. Reid writes the at-home father blog Rebeldad. The two faced off at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 6 , to answer your questions on parents' roles in today's society.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Hi everyone, I'm eager to discuss your questions about working moms and dads, at-home moms and dads, and issues facing us all.
Brian Reid: Hello everyone. I'm Brian Reid, the guy behind rebeldad.com. I'm interested not only on at-home fatherhood, but in the myriad ways that parents can balance work and family and the ongoing shift in domestic gender roles. I have one young daughter, and since her birth, I've tackled just about every possible work arrangement, from at-home fatherhood to my current full-time (though flexible) job. Like Leslie, I'm eager to hear your questions, quandaries and solutions.
St. Louis: Why all the conflict? A book called "Mommy Wars," even this discussion labeled as a "face-off." Aren't we all in it together, moms and dads, stay-at-home and working outside? What constructive purpose is served by deliberately labeling groups and artificially putting them at odds with each other?
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Ostensibly, everyone in our society is "in this" together -- moms, dads, kids, non-parents too. But what I see is that there is a lot of subtle and obvious blaming, judgment, and finger pointing at parents -- mostly at moms, because we are easier targets than dads. There is no constructive purpose over the long run, but this kind of blaming and venting seems to make people feel better in the short run, even though it's destructive over time.
Brian Reid: I agree 100 percent that we could do with less conflict. Conflict between parents -- between go-to-work moms and at-home moms, between moms and dads, between cry-it-out types and attachment parents, and on and on -- is incredibly attractive to the media, but it's not terribly constructive. I'd love to see some solutions-oriented dialogues about ways to make life better for all parents, regardless of socioeconomic status, sex, race, working status, etc. How about more paid leave or more flexible work options. And I'd be happy to "face off" with anyone whose opposed to those kind of ideas.
(I must confess: Dds are exempt from a lot of the inter-parental judgment/blaming/etc that Leslie mentions. Why that should be the case is an interesting question in itself.)
Washington, D.C.: I'm 38 and a computer programmer. Recently a 24 yr old coworker wrote an entire program over a weekend. I am stuck as a semi-manager with just enough programming responsibilities for this person's success to make me look bad. Short of setting him up with a date to take up his free time, how can working Dads cope with the younger set putting in 70 hours at the office? If I do 60 hours, my wife's yelling at me to get home.
Brian Reid: I don't think this one has an easy answer: having it all remains a near-impossible choice. And there are some jobs -- and some businesses -- that make requests of their employees that render work-family balance a cruel illusion. These leave uncomfortable choices.
Some time ago, I was offered a fantastic job with comfortable salary and all kinds of opportunities for advancement. My boss was a great guy, and the work was stimulating. The catch was that I'd be putting in 12, 14 hour days. I turned it down. And every time money gets tight, I wonder if I made the right decision. On the flip side, I don't have to fear a Blackberry buzzing every time we break out Candyland or sit down to dinner.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Really hard one -- you've got to hope that your experience, wisdom and judgment helps you out here! What I've done when faced with critical and urgent work is to call in the troops -- my husband, in-laws, friends and babysitters -- so that I can focus exclusively on work for a very short, intense period of time. And I've worked hard to find jobs where my expertise matters more than my ability to work 70 hours straight.
Single parenthood, U.S.A: How about acknowledging the struggles of working single mothers and fathers once in a while? You married folks think you have a tough "balancing" act? Imagine your life without your spouse...
Leslie Morgan Steiner: I hope there is a blog devoted solely to issues facing single parents. If not, you should start one.
Brian Reid: There are some really heartfelt single-dad blogs that I've linked to in the past, and I can only imagine the stresses of single parenthood. But I think there are things that employers and the government can do to ease the burden on everyone. Balance is not just a perk for the married.
Elkton, Md.: Statistically and emotionally how much do you believe the decision to stay at home is determined by the number of children a family has? For instance a family might be able to afford child care for 2 but not 4.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Great issue. The expenses, logistics, and chaos facing a family increase with the number of children. But obviously many people want more than two kids. Some argue that the answers lie in limiting the number of children we have -- but I think better answers can be found in increasing support and flexibility for families, at work and at home.
Anytown, U.S.: Have either of you considered that this "issue" is really an upper-middle-class dilemma, i.e. that lower-income folks do not have the luxury of choosing between working and staying at home because, without two incomes, they'd be living in a shelter?
Brian Reid: You're absolutely right -- a huge chunk of the work/home discussion focuses on a tiny sliver of the population (I'm frequently guilty of this). But I think that the same kinds of actions that can help folks at the top of the income scale can help those at the bottom. We all need more leave. We all need more flexibility. We need better, cheaper childcare available to everyone.
My real fear is that the coming revolution in work-life balance will be driven by technology. In a cell phone and broadband world, there will be masses of people who can work effectively from anywhere at anytime, and these (generally white-collar) workers will get flexibility that blue-collar works cannot. How to solve that question will be the real hard nut to crack.
Aberdeen, Md.: How do you see this debate as helpful in light of the fact most families capable of affording a stay at home entity are upper middle class?
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Actually, the majority of stay-at-home moms are young, low-income women who haven't gone to college. Their salaries add up to less than daycare expenses, so economic realities push them to stay home, whether they want to or not. These women don't have a real "choice" any more than moms who must work for financial reasons.
I believe that honest, constructive debate about how demanding motherhood is -- working or stay-at-home -- helps everyone in our society.
Detroit, Mich.: Question:I am a professional person with advanced degrees in engineering and economics and have had a successful career for over 18 years in both the national and international analysis and consulting positions for industry and governments. In the past three years I have taken off time from a "paying" job, except for minor consulting work, to be rear our child that is now 4 years old, and my wife has gone back to work during that period. Child rearing is a very challenging and rewarding experience and our son has developed into a well-balanced, very confident, and very curious 4-year old, with what I consider advanced capabilities observation, reasoning and deduction, and ready to start kindergarten next year.
I am finding a serious cost to taking time off for child rearing that I did not anticipate. In planning to re-enter the job market and I am finding that as an older person with no "significant" job experience for the last three-plus years, I am not marketable and have had a difficult time finding a job commensurate with my training and experience. Have you come across anybody in this situation and has anybody identified an effective and easy way to overcome this problem?
Leslie Morgan Steiner: I've seen this problem become especially acute among women who've taken long periods of time "off" from paid work (ten years or more). The problem is threefold -- lack of current skills, lack of self-confidence, and prejudice by companies doing the hiring. It helps to approach the problem as objectively as possible, as you'd solve any business problem. Update your skills through education and volunteer work and networking. Self-confidence can be boosted through friends, therapy, and reaching out to others for help (and having a good sit-down with yourself). Prejudice against men and women who've stepped out is another, bigger problem, because it's a societal issue. The longer you are out, the more you face age-ism as well. But cast a wide net -- interview with a lot of companies and be open to a range of interesting opportunities. Look for companies and individuals who are not judgmental and are appreciative of what you have to offer.
Brian Reid: The most thoughtful analysis of this exact problem is a book by Ann Crittenden called "If You've Raised Kids, You Can Manage Anything." It tackles many of the issues you raise in much more detail that I can hope to get into.
Alexandria, Va.: Brian, it seems like there's a real glass half-full/half-empty story about father involvement. Dads are doing a lot more than in the past, but dads who do as much as moms are still pretty rare. Do you think there's ever going to be an even split?
Brian Reid: I'm all about relative gains: Dads today are doing a lot more than their fathers, even if they still lag moms. I see this as half-full and getting fuller.
But getting to an even split seems like it's a long way away. Society never moves as fast as I think it should ...
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Also, I think shooting for 50/50 split across the board misses the point. All families are unique. No solution works for everyone. Plenty of men and women would be legitimately unhappy with an unyielding, if "fair," division of labor. The key is to stop judging people making different decisions, and to push for what works for you.
Washington, D.C.: Is there any down-side that either of you see to parental leave policies that are gender-neutral?
p.s. Brian, I agree with your take that Leslie's comments are often passe.
P.p.s. Leslie, seems like you are keeping an open mind-- love it!
Brian Reid: There is always the downside that gender-neutral policies -- in a society where gender expectation remain -- aren't really gender neutral. Family and Medical Leave Act is technically gender-neutral, but the vast, vast majority of leave taken for children is by women. (Scandinavia has seen similar problems: Great policies for all, but the men take a pass.)
It's a reminder that we can't just institute policies and assume all will be hunky-dory.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Parental leave policies that respect both parents' needs to be involved in their childrens' lives seem to be an unmitigated societal "good." At times, there has be some additional respect for the physical aspects of pregnancy, recovery, and breastfeeding, though, and that shouldn't be ignored, overlooked or denied.
Alexandria, Va.: Leslie, your book is full of some really great essays by moms writing thoughtfully about their own experiences. But in your blog here, it seems like you just tell horror stories and invite readers to take potshots at them. Could you think of a way to change the format to get away from the "mommy wars" and create a space for people to really share their own stories?
Leslie Morgan Steiner: The book took three years to write and edit and re-edit, so naturally it is far more "thoughtful." The beauty of the blog, and the horror of it, is its spontaneity. (And don't think I have much control -- I just write my 300 words or so, to the best of my ability, and then it's a free-for-all.) Everyone has a right to their opinion, and although I don't enjoy some of the cattiness men and women display on the blog, I do appreciate that everyone is sharing openly, without reservation. I find the conversations fascinating.
Brian Reid: I've charged in the past that some of Leslie's postings have been a bit much -- stirring the pot instead of stimulating a more productive dialogue. Hey: I'm all for parents going to war. I just don't think we should be fighting each other, no matter how opposite our choices. And a blog is a great way to track that very meaningful set of battles.
Franconia, VA: there's no way a single mom/dad could start a blog for others in their predicament- they don't have the time or energy at the end of the day. not that any parent does, but lets get real here- having a domestic partner (spouse, etc) makes a WORLD of a difference. i'm not in that boat (or else i wouldn't be writing this) but i observe my sister who is a single working mom of twin girls... YIKES! somebody call the sanitarium, tell 'em to get a room ready!
Brian Reid: No argument here.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Yes, but if no one tells the story of single parenthood nothing will change. Maybe someone whose kids are old enough to be somewhat self-sufficient could take this on.
Vineyard Haven, Mass.: Leslie, I'm more than a little confused reading this. Your blog entries are much less moderate than you're appearing here. Which is the real you?
I also wonder why you both seem to ignore the GTWD. Unless a family is living on a trust fund, SOMEONE'S got to work, don't they? Why focus all your attention on the person who's not working?
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Don't confuse me with the blog conversations. My entries are very brief. I think people see their own biases and prejudices reflected in my words
Silver Spring, Md.: Many of us commenting on Leslie's blog have pointed out that while some dads may be slackers dumping on their wives, there are some moms who feel that if things are not done their way, they are not being done properly, and so they are reluctant to delegate any responsibility. I know that I've stopped taking the initiative on some tasks unless I'm asked to do something specific, because my wife becomes critical if I do things differently than the way she would do them.
I'd like to hear both of your opinions on this.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: So glad you asked! I see this issue as a potential bottleneck between moms and dads. Moms need to give a bit and let dads do it their way. And dads need to keep trying to pitch in. Calm and nonjudgmental communication is elusive but critical! What helped me, a lot, was a recent study conducted at the University of Richmond that seems to suggest that mothers do benefit from a biological hormonal boost that helps them multitask and provide for offspring in ways that males don't. This biological explanation seemed to calm my fury that my husband couldn't do things my way -- he literally can't. It would be great if you kept bringing this issue up among your family and friends. It needs to be discussed way more.
Brian Reid: Leslie is right. This is another area where marital communication and compromise are critical. My wife and I have different standards of cleanliness. We won't agree, but we have a pretty good idea of what it means to be unreasonable ...
Va.: A guy visiting from Europe mentioned that in Europe, stay-at-home are unheard of and mothers staying at home have full government support (like here we pay for 3 months maternity leave) and over there can be for 3-5 years.
Brian Reid: Depends on the country. I don't think any country over there is closing in on gender equity, but I'm willing to bet that there are very few French workers who complain that they can't see their family because they're working 70 hour weeks or Swedish dads who can't take family leave for financial reasons.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: I think there is a lot we can learn from other countries (and vice versa) but we've got to find our own, uniquely American solution. And on my good days, I see evidence we are (slowly) finding solutions.
Mark (Scottsdale, Ariz.): Ms. Steiner consistently argues in her blog and in interviews that fathers are not stepping up to the plate enough in either childcare or household duties. However, many fathering literature and anecdotal evidence seems to argue that many mothers act as gatekeepers to children and household duties -- insisting things be done mom's way or risk being berated, which acts to discourage dads from being as active as maybe they would like. Do you have any ideas for how parents can do a better job of working together to keep this from becoming such an adversarial battle for families?
Brian Reid: I hate to sound like an afternoon TV-therapist, but this comes down to communication. My wife was great about letting me know when she felt like I was gate keeping, and that nipped problems in the bud.
Study after study shows that the happiest families are not those of a specific type (working dad, at-home mom, dual-earners, etc), but those in which everyone is clear on expectations.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Evidence shows that on average American dads have not increased their level of household chores since 1985, and that women have decreased their level of household chores. Now maybe this means we are all living in messier houses but perhaps we are a bit happier.
Pittsburgh: I have a home office and regular contact with both stay-at-home parents and working parents. Interestingly, both sets of parents vent and/or confide in me about their arrangements and their view on the at-home work issues. The majority of unfair or negative comments though, seem to come from stay-at-home Moms toward working Moms. I see both sides of the issue and can defend either depending on the circumstances, but I do believe there are many at-home Moms who are either insecure about their status, but unwilling to admit that to themselves, or downright jealous of working Moms. I don't hear any of the negativity from working Moms or any types of Dads toward the other groups. What do you make of this? Does this track with what you hear in your book research and travels?
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Working moms (and maybe dads) are sometimes too busy to vent, or even to notice some of the more subtle jabs coming their way. I don't blame SAHMs for being insecure -- literally no one in this country seems to do anything to make their jobs easier, or to make them feel good about themselves, or to give them a voice in the debate, despite how much we deify motherhood in this culture. You need an incredibly strong, self-sustaining ego to be a happy stay-at-home mom in America, and I think it's worth cutting those moms whose seams are showing a break.
Brian Reid: I'm a lucky guy. Because child rearing standards for men have been so low for so long, it doesn't take much to impress folks. We're generally not trying to live up to outsized, Donna-Reed-style expectations.
If moms were given a bit more of the latitude that dads get (and they deserve it), I imagine everyone would be happier.
Considering the fact that you can have a nanny, do you think you are in touch with the lives of the majority of American parents?
Leslie Morgan Steiner: I'm just in touch with myself, and trust me, that was a hard enough job in itself! There are millions of moms in America. We all approach work and motherhood differently. I have no desire to speak for everyone. My point is that everyone has got to speak for themselves. And that we need to listen.
Brian Reid: I've spoken with enough parents to know that we all share the same anxieties, even if we have massively different tools to deal with them. Some people can afford nannies, some have families close for bail-out care. I live on a block where 7 (count 'em!) kids were born within 12 months of my daughter. I can always find a sitter when I'm desperate.
But the more stories out there, the better. Please share yours.
I dabble in demography as a hobby, and economists and demographers worry about the loss of Americans in the labor workforce, as the Baby Boomers retire. This is likely to negatively affect our GDP, and send more jobs overseas. Do you think that stay-at-home dads are the answer, or, for that matter, stay-at-home moms, when we need a greater number of Americans joining the workforce? Shouldn't we be trying to focus our energies on improving daycare options for all families of different economic means?
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Yes, more GOOD daycare is good for families and kids, no matter the income level. Why do you think we are not focused on daycare as a country? My sense is that we are still very conflicted about women's pragmatic need to work, and our society's deification of motherhood.
Brian Reid: Families make choices based on micro-level needs, but it's a heck of a general proposition.
There are plenty of at-home parents who would be happy to do 10 or 20 or 30 hours a week, if only the jobs existed. (Not everyone is lucky enough to be a writer, like me and most of Leslie's essayist). If government and corporate American is serious about keeping GDP up, it should get serious about making sure that joining the American workforce isn't a 40-hour-a-week or nothing proposition.
Anonymous: The real question - Is there ever really balance, or does one parent have to do more parenting so the other can do more WOH?
When I was more active in my career, my husband was a great and involved dad. (He still is BTW, as much as he can.) But, I finished my degrees early and was funding his. Now, he's finished and is the boss of a company. He simply no longer has the flexibilities I have. I -can- take off when the kids are sick. I -can- do the homework at night when he's still on the phone with associates or working on reports. I -can- take off vacations days when the kids have off school. But, I'm sure this is making me look less "devoted" at work, after years of being the "career woman." But, I feel that I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband and his time has finally come that I can't ask him to go back to his old ways.
I know there has been criticism on Leslie's blog about the problems being posted not being applicable to most parents. Both of us came from humble (one middle-, one lower-class) beginnings. We paid our own ways through college and were married and worked a decade before having children. There's a reason we have more invested in our careers at this stage. We simply waited to start a family because we wanted to be more financially stable than our parents were.
However, the problems really are the same. I really think there are very few situations in which both parents can achieve true balance. If one has a flourishing career, the other is most probably picking up the slack at home.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: What I've heard from parents whose kids are teenagers and older is that the "balance" can shift. In some families, moms give more time and energy when the kids are young and then dads step in when the kids are older (or vice versa, this is just an example). There is no hard-and-fast, whew-I-figured-this-parenthood-stuff-out answer. I think it helps to be open-minded and accepting of the chaos that is inevitable in parenthood. As writer Jane Juska says, "Kids are not meant to balance you. They are meant to un-balance you."
Brian Reid: There is a theory called the four-thirds theory that suggests that if only both parents could work a two-thirds schedule, there would be enough money to get by and plenty of time for family. But Anon raises a good point: there aren't many two-thirds jobs, and finding balance isn't easy. Kudos to Anon for being flexible through the career arcs of the family, and I'm sure there's likely to be the need for flexibility in the future.
And I've worked hard to find jobs where my expertise matters more than my ability to work 70 hours straight.
oh my haven't we all worked so hard to find such jobs, which of course include respectable salaries too! but they're not exactly plentiful are they? If mere 'expertise' was highly prized, then working moms and dads would easily have the greatest working lives ever...but companies value face time, long hours and the only flexibility is theirs. I'm just sayin.
Brian Reid: I've always thought that there's a great business in hiring whip-smart parents who have encountered these very problems elsewhere. Give me a staff full of intelligent, job-sharing parents who want to be home for dinner, and I'll show you a business capable of anything.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Yes, dearth of good, well-paid, short-commute flexible and part-time jobs is a very real and sometimes ugly problem. We live in a capitalistic country that values employees who adapt to companies' needs more than the reverse. But we all have to keep plugging away -- by finding and keeping those jobs, creating them when we are in hiring and management positions, and talking up the companies that are respectful of parents' desires to be both good parents and good employees.
Staunton, Va.: Leslie, in your blog today you write about the Supermom concept, disparaging criticism of working moms while using the example of a self-employed working-at-home parent to illustrate that parenting can be done and done well.
It seems to me that the original criticism was about moms who work entirely out of the home, and often as early as three months after a child is born.
Decisions are personal, and lots of things work or don't work, but let's face it, what about the impact on kids? Is there ever a time in your view where a kid going full time to day care starting at 12 weeks does lead to a deprivation of sorts, and one that impacts their development, whether emotional or intellectual? Is there ever a time, in your view, (barring the obvious example of outright abuse,) where maybe its legit to ask, "Why did you choose parenting?" if a child is leading an essentially independent life right from the get-go, or otherwise sees the parent infrequently? Should people examine more closely whether parenting really fits into their lives?
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Yes, of course, and many people do. We would probably all benefit from lesser idolization of the joys of parenthood. But the tricky bit about parenthood is that there is so much you don't know (about yourself and your kids) until you become a parent! And of course there is still such a thing as accidental pregnancy. So I don't think there are many good answers in suggesting that we can avoid today's struggles and debates by more conscious "choice" of whether to become a parent or not.
Brian Reid: I've met working parents who log incredible hours, yet are there--110 percent--for their kids the moment they walk through the door, whereas I've met parents who can go entire days without really connecting with their kids. Judging the quality of parenthood by the type of care provided is a dangerous game.
Falls Church, Va.: Dear Brian --
I greatly admire stay-at-home dads for their ability to overcome the anxiety (for some) of not being the principal breadwinners of the house.
I had a couple questions: What are the reactions you receive from women you know? And men? Do stay-at-home moms react to you differently?
And also, do you miss the office life and the interaction with colleagues (i.e. chatting at the water cooler, lunches, office pools, etc.)?
Brian Reid: Full disclosure: I'm working outside the home right now, with a fair degree of flexibility. I thank much lucky stars every day for the arrangement.
The folks in my neighborhood have been great. I've never felt uncomfortable as the only guy in the playground, and I don't feel weird when I'm at the bar with their husbands. I know plenty of at-home dads who have had different experiences, but I'm increasingly convinced that dads who think they're getting funny looks are mostly projecting their own lack of comfort with the arrangement.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: My experience is that women adore men who are actively, obviously engaged with their children. Just watch my husband walk through an airport with our three kids -- women of all ages come out of the woodwork to praise him, offer to change the kids' diapers, feed them...and when it's me in the airport with three kids, I get looks like "boy, she's in over her head, I better get out of the way." Although I imagine Rebel Dads get weird reactions sometimes, from men and women alike, I see them getting a lot of accolades too. Not sure outside praise is the deciding factor, though. Your decisions have got to make you happy, and to work for your family overall.
Cottonwood,Calif.: Given the overwhelming amount of data accumulated over the past two decades regarding the extremely bad outcomes for children raised in single parent and dysfunctional two parent homes isn't it about time in this country that we BY LAW REQUIRE both parents to play an equal role in their childrens' lives regardless of marital status. Maybe we could start correcting the mess we have made of our children.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: I don't believe you can force people to be good parents through legal means. But I'd be really interested to see your suggestions about how to do so.
Brian Reid: For starters, it's not fair to label single parenthood as leading to "bad outcomes."
Right now, we have a system to protect children in dangerous situations. It's not a perfect system, but I'd hate to live in a country where the government formulated parenting standards and then applied them to everyone. Forget Big Brother. I'd be scared of Big Nanny.
Grand Rapids, Mich.: You say that SAHMs need a break -- but didn't they choose to be that? And isn't there a built-in "prestige" with SAHM (I can afford to do this)? It's mind-boggling to the extent that people whine about the results of their own life choices.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Not all stay-at-home moms "chose" to be at-home the way you might choose a tie. Many moms I know felt pressured to leave work by an unreasonable employer, an unreasonable husband, or both. And some moms stay home because of their kids' unique physical or mental issues. I think if you find it mind-boggling to hear them whine, you either don't have enough women in your life, or you are not really listening to them. And why is it so hard to be understanding of another person who is struggling?
Brian Reid: I'm hard pressed to think of any parent I know -- a go-to-work parent OR an at-home parent -- who doesn't need a break. Families are incredibly rewarding, but incredibly hard work.
Now you've got me thinking about taking a break ... I wonder what that would feel like. I remember taking a break, once upon a time. I think.
Annandale, Va.: I see some big concerns here in this chat are The Baby Boomer generation retiring, thus leaving jobs unfilled, and lack a good daycare. Why not solve both problems by advocating for semi-retirees to fill the daycare job slots, enabling moms who need to work the opportunity to go back to work (and fill the jobs left by retirees). This might also drive the cost of day care down as retirees might not rely on this as their only income. Just a thought.
Brian Reid: There's probably a parallel argument to suggest that we'll see an explosion in care by grandparents, which would lead to the same outcome via a slightly more informal path. That may be happening already, but I don't have the numbers at my fingertips. Sadly, us transient folks in the D.C. area are probably less likely than average to have our folks nearby.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: I like this idea. Especially because there are many stay-at-home moms in their 50's and 60's whose kids are grown and they are confronting age-ism and sexism in their efforts to go back to work. This wouldn't solve every problem, but it's a well-intentioned, smart step in a good direction.
Falls Church, Va.: There is so much talk about what the government should do for us. "We need cheaper daycare. We need more days off. We need longer school hours...." What about turning the question back to yourself. Maybe we don't NEED a new BMW, maybe we don't need a huge house, maybe we can vacation in the Outer Banks rather than Hawaii. My husband and I both work full time, but only live off one income so we can have the ability to have one parent stay home full time. Why isn't this point ever made?
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Your point is a good one, and I hear moms (especially stay-at-home moms) making it a lot -- that making material sacrifices is something their family happily does. However, I also see this argument used to dismiss very real problems about how difficult it is to work and raise kids. It's always dangerous when you judge someone by how their life looks on the outside, or by what kind of car they drive. I suspect if we all knew their full story, we might have more sympathy for the choices facing them.
Brian Reid: I'm all about giving people more choices. I don't think most of the people advocating for more days off or better childcare are doing it to buy BMWs. Everyone's trying to do their best to get what they value out of life, and those that make sacrifices to stay home generally don't regret it.
Downtown D.C. : I rarely if ever see this issue addressed: the harm to young girls (and boys) that can result from having large numbers of mothers 'stay home,' especially after giving up substantial careers. The girls will grow up seeing this powerful image: That women are made for one chief thing, and that is bearing and raising children. Jobs are just something to keep them occupied until their 'real' career, child raising, comes up. And it's for men to be the practicing lawyers, doctors, architects, painters, plumbers, whatever, and make all the big decisions in how society is run. How can this be good?
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Very good points. Also, knowing that your mom "gave up" her high-powered job for you puts a huge amount of pressure on kids (girls and boys), especially if she doesn't seem happy or fulfilled having done so. I see evidence that women in their 20's are benefiting from watching their moms and other women struggle with these issues of work and family. They will come up with their own answers, and I doubt every single women will decided that her only "real" career is child raising (some may, and some will combine work and family, and some will just have work). But I see that younger women don't have as much to prove about "having it all" as my generation does. And that's a good thing!
Brian Reid: I'll take this as another vote for at-home fatherhood <grin>.
Comment and question: Just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed your web site -- I like that you post stats as well as your analyses of them. Data on their own don't work unless you understand what they mean.
Question: Surely the numbers of SAHD are going to rise, but do you foresee a ceiling?
Brian Reid: There's no ceiling in sight. It exists, I'm sure, but we're nowhere close.
Washington,D.C: I feel very lucky. Both my husband and I work full time and share responsibilities for our two kids. In fact, my husband is cleaner, more organized and probably does a bit more than me. For some reason, he always feels less overwhelmed than me. Are there ways that women who have all the support they need from their spouse can somehow find a balance and have less guilt?
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Guilt always stumps me. It is such a tricky and overwhelming emotion, particularly for women. A recent study showed that one thing working and at-home moms agree on is that they aren't doing enough for their children. That seems to be proof that the guilt-monster grabs us all, and perhaps we should ignore it a bit more resolutely.
Brian Reid: Sounds like a good excuse to count your blessings. I'm in the same position -- my wife is much more organized than I. It's a good reminder that she should get a back rub soon ...
Woodbridge, Va.: As a non-parent and full time employee, I do not want to hear any more "woe is me" stories about having to balance work and kids. Why? Because I'm the one who gets to pick up all the slack when the young working mother in our group has to stay home for the umpteenth time because one of her kids is sick. I have my own billable hours to keep up and I can't do that if I'm doing someone else's work too. I try not to complain too much because she does need to work, but let's not forget that the rest of us are not your backups, especially people who can afford nannies and extra help. They're your kids, it's your job, you make it work and don't just assume the rest of us will be there for you. Seems to me you working parents get an awful lot of favors done for you.
Brian Reid: I ask for a great deal of flexibility in my job, and in return, I expect to work just as hard anyone in my company. I think parents can be some of the most productive workers in the economy -- having someone to come home to (at a specific time) can do a great job of focusing the mind.
I think the single-vs-parent argument is another battle we don't need to fight. I think that non-parents should have the same sort of flexibility that parents get. It would probably boost productivity for us all.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Hey, if I have to listen to you vent, you've got to list to me vent. We are all in this together -- and you were a kid once, too. Hopefully someone covered for your mom or dad when you were sick, or had a baseball game, or a doctor's appointment. And I would suggest trying to talk to your employer and co-worker openly, because your resentment can't be good for you -- or anyone else.
Alexandria, Va.: Leslie, I think it's a cop-out to say that you don't set the tone for the blog. There are lots of places on the Internet where people are having thoughtful sharing conversations, and lots of places where there are flame wars going on. And the tones the original writers use, and the way they frame the questions, makes a huge difference in which is which.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Hey, I'm new to this and just doing the best I can! I don't try to inflame people intentionally. I do share my own hot buttons. Perhaps that sets people off. So please, I'd love it if you would send constructive ideas my way when you think I've thrown a flame or two.
Leslie Morgan Steiner: Thanks to Brian and everyone for your time and your thoughts. Keep talking and thinking about these complicated issues. No one can come up with any good answers unless we're all discussing the problems freely.
Brian Reid: Thanks to all for the thoughtful issues raised. It'll give me plenty of food for thought as I continue on my merry, blogging way.
One final thought: Kids benefit from seeing happy parents who work together to make sound choices. There is no right way to get there, and I appreciate everyone who detailed their path.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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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Steps Toward a Happier Return
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1. And Baby Makes How Many?
First, add Baby to your exemptions -- but make sure you've gotten Baby a Social Security number. That's required for all dependents. If you haven't already, apply to the Social Security Administration right away. The process usually takes about two weeks. If you don't have the number by the April 15 tax deadline, you can obtain an extension by filing Form 4868 with the IRS.
The child tax credit available to many parents is now as much as $1,000 per child. It starts phasing out for couples with i ncome of or more than $110,000 and of or more than $75,000 for singles.
Check the 1099 from your mutual fund carefully (for that matter, carefully check any 1099 from an individual stock) and be sure you differentiate ordinary dividends from qualified dividends on your Form 1040. "Qualified dividends," if you have some, will qualify for the 15 percent tax rate.
Points, the upfront amount you may have paid to obtain the mortgage on your principal residence, are deductible. Points masquerading as loan origination fees, maximum loan charges, loan discount and discount points are also deductible. (Points paid on a loan secured by a second residence cannot be deducted in the year of purchase but must be deducted over the life of the loan.)
Speaking of which, points for a refinance must be amortized over the life of the loan. But homeowners who retired that mortgage to refinance yet again may now deduct the remainder of any points paid to obtain the first refinance.
This is counterintuitive, but points paid by the seller are deductible by you, the buyer.
Property taxes are deductible for filers who itemize. But municipal and county fees for trash collection and sewer service are not deductible -- even though many times they are added to your real estate tax bill. Homeowner association dues aren't deductible either.
Late fees added to your mortgage bill are already included in the amount the lender reports that you paid during the year. Do not add them on top of the number on the 1099.
FHA mortgage insurance premiums and private mortgage insurance (the dreaded PMI) are not deductible.
When going through receipts from past years, collect and save those that represent major additions and improvements to your house. The expenses are not tax-deductible per se, but you can add them to your cost "basis" when you sell. That means your capital gain will be smaller, which could keep you below the tax-free maximums of $250,000 for an individual and $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly.
You must report your state or local tax refund from 2004 as income in 2005 -- but only if you itemized deductions in 2004. If you simply took the standard deduction that year, do not report the refund.
If a newlywed takes a new name and doesn't tell the Social Security Administration, IRS computers will not be able to match the new name on the tax return with the Social Security numbers. Getting divorced and discarding the name? You could run into the same problem.
In general, married couples are better off filing jointly than separately because of the less favorable brackets for "married filing separately." But there are exceptions. For example, medical expenses are deductible only to the extent they exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income, a tough hurdle to get over for most couples. But if one spouse has been very sick and racked up very large medical expenses not covered by insurance, it may pay to file separately because those expenses may be high enough to top 7.5 percent of that spouse's income and thus generate a deduction. You may need to do your return both ways, though, to be sure which filing form is better.
Soldiers, sailors and Air Force personnel are eligible for a variety of benefits. For example, military pay during service in a combat zone is excluded from income of enlisted personnel and, up to certain limits, for officers. There are also special rules that apply to the sale of a home, travel expenses and other items. Active-duty officers and enlisted people -- or their spouses who may be back home trying to do their tax returns -- should look at IRS Publication 3, "Armed Forces Tax Guide." It's on the IRS Web site at http://www.irs.gov/ .
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A new baby? A new name? In a new home? The following are some helpful tips to file your taxes successfully.
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Caps Blanked in Shootout
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The Washington Capitals earned a standings point for the seventh straight game, the franchise's longest streak in five years, by taking another one from the Southeast Division champion Carolina Hurricanes. But that's where the good news ended for Alex Ovechkin and Co. last night at Verizon Center.
Carolina's Mark Recchi scored the game-tying goal late in the third period, then Ovechkin and two other Capitals were shut down in the shootout by goalie Martin Gerber, who lifted the Hurricanes to a 4-3 victory, their second in three days over Washington.
"It's getting that goal and holding on to that lead that's the big thing now," said Capitals captain Jeff Halpern, who had a goal and an assist. "They've won two and we've won two. That makes for an interesting game on Friday."
Matt Cullen's shootout goal proved to be the decisive score in the fourth of five meetings between the divisional foes over 14 days, a stretch some Capitals are looking at as a playoff series. Washington took the first two games in Raleigh, N.C., late last month, then was defeated in overtime on Monday at RBC Center. Carolina returns to Verizon Center on Friday.
"What we thought would be a real negative, playing a team five times in seven games, has become very entertaining," Capitals Coach Glen Hanlon said. "The coaching staff hasn't talked about [treating it as a playoff series] but the players know there are things that carry over from the games. Our playoffs are next year."
Dainius Zubrus's second goal of the game, scored on a five-on-three power play, gave the Capitals a 3-2 lead 7 minutes 11 seconds into the third period. But they couldn't hold on; the Hurricanes stormed right back on a goal by Recchi, whose power-play wrist shot slithered between Brent Johnson's leg pads, at 13:25, to force overtime.
After a scoreless extra session, Cullen recorded the only goal for either team, beating Johnson low to his stick side. At the other end, Ovechkin, whose two assists moved him two points short of 100 for the season, was thwarted by Gerber. The Carolina goalie also turned back Brian Willsie and Brooks Laich.
"I felt we were in control of the game," Gerber said. "Then, all of a sudden, they got a couple of good goals and we're in a dogfight again. Somehow they came back."
The Hurricanes grabbed an early 2-0 lead, however, the Capitals, as they've done often recently, bounced back with a vengeance. Halpern and Zubrus struck 49 seconds apart in the second period to tie the game at 2, which is the way things remained entering the final 20 minutes. Halpern's goal was his third in four games; Zubrus now has six goals in eight games.
Johnson, making his 20th start, stopped 30 shots; Gerber posted 27 saves.
Ovechkin's two assists gave him 98 points and moved him past Dennis Maruk for third on the franchise's all-time scoring list. Ovechkin's total is also the highest for a Capital since 1984-85 season, and moved him into a tie for sixth in NHL history among rookies.
The 20-year-old Russian left wing also extended his point streak to 10 games (5 goals and 11 assists). He now needs two goals to become only the second rookie ever to have a 50-goal, 100-point season. Teemu Selanne had 76 goals and 132 points in 1992-93 for the Winnipeg Jets.
Ovechkin's five shots on goal broke Selanne's rookie record of 387 shots in a season by one.
"You know, I don't ever think we feel we are out of the game," Ovechkin said. "Especially with the new rules, you are going to get a few power plays."
The Capitals put forth another strong effort despite being shorthanded. Wingers Matt Pettinger and Ben Clymer were out with undisclosed injuries and defenseman Bryan Muir was recovering from the flu, forcing the club to recall forwards Kris Beech, Eric Fehr and Louis Robitaille from Hershey (Pa.) of the American Hockey League. As a result, Hanlon was forced to juggle his forward lines throughout the game.
In the first period, Eric Staal gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead by lifting a shot from point blank range over Johnson's glove at 2:52. Cullen extended the visitors' edge to 2-0 at 5:28 by finishing off a pair of perfectly placed passes from Staal and Cory Stillman.
Halpern's goal, an inadvertent redirection at 7:30 of the second period, pulled the Capitals to within 2-1. Zubrus redirected a slap from Ovechkin moments later to tie the game at 2.
Notes: The attendance was announced as 14,867. . . . Carolina left wing Ray Whitney left the game in the second period with a lower body injury and did not return.
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For the second consecutive game the Capitals earn a point against the Hurricanes and for the second straight game the Capitals lose, this time 4-3 in a shootout.
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Have Your Mac and Windows XP, Too
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Good news for Microsoft: It's just gained access to a new base of customers who need to pick up their own copy of Windows XP.
Bad news for Apple: A Mac can now get any of the viruses, worms and spyware that afflict Windows machines.
Terrific news for indecisive computer shoppers: They no longer have to choose between getting a Mac or a Windows machine, because an Intel-based Mac can be both.
All these developments come courtesy of a new, free program Apple released yesterday. Boot Camp makes what was once impossible, then mind-numbingly difficult, easy: You can put a copy of Windows XP on a Mac, then choose to run either XP or Apple's Mac OS X at each start-up.
This isn't like running a copy of Windows inside emulation software such as Microsoft's Virtual PC; XP runs as fast as if it were on a "real" PC, thanks to the Intel processors inside Apple's Mac mini, iMac and MacBook Pro.
It's also unlike the tricky, home-brewed software released last month that first allowed a side-by-side XP and OS X setup: Because Apple has also provided a set of drivers for almost all of a Mac's hardware, XP should be able to run just about any program it could handle on a machine from Dell, Gateway or HP. And yes, that includes all the viruses, worms, spyware and Trojan horses you'd otherwise never see on a Mac.
I spent many late nights trying to set up XP using the software and directions at the earlier site ( http://www.onmac.net ), with a near-total lack of success. But I had XP installing on a 20-inch iMac within maybe 15 minutes of downloading Boot Camp ( http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/ ).
Apple does note that this software, an 83-megabyte download, remains in a beta-test state and outright warns against using it "in a commercial operating environment or with important data." But if you can handle installing software on a Mac in the first place -- much less installing Windows XP itself -- you should be able to manage.
The first step was to download and install Apple's latest operating system patch, 10.4.6, and a firmware update to the boot-up software on the test Mac, an Intel-based iMac.
Then I loaded and ran the Boot Camp software, which put a set of Windows drivers on a blank CD and split the iMac's hard drive into Windows and Mac portions -- without requiring me to erase the drive first. I then selected how much drive space to make available to Windows and waited a couple of minutes for the job to complete.
But when I rebooted, the fun ended -- installing Windows XP is just as tedious on a Mac as on a PC. That copy of Windows needs to be a full -- not upgrade -- version that includes the Service Pack 2 update.
Once you've trudged through the XP setup and are staring at the familiar Windows desktop, pop in the driver CD and it will install the necessary driver software for you.
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Good news for Microsoft: It's just gained access to a new base of customers who need to pick up their own copy of Windows XP.
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3 U.S.-Detained Yemenis Freed, Rights Group Says
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Three Yemeni nationals who say they were held captive for more than two years in secret U.S. detention facilities have been released in Yemen without facing charges related to terrorism, according to Amnesty International officials who have been working with the former detainees.
In a report released yesterday in London and in previous statements, Amnesty International cites the three detainees' cases as a window on what the organization believes is part of the covert CIA system designed to hide prisoners. Amnesty officials say they cannot be certain exactly where the detainees were held, but they contend, based on the captives' accounts, that the prisons were probably in Afghanistan, Djibouti and somewhere in Eastern Europe.
Muhammad Bashmilah, 38, and Salah Ali Qaru, 29 -- who were living in Indonesia when they were arrested in 2003 -- were released last week after a Yemeni judge convicted them of forging personal travel documents and sentenced them to time served in the U.S. facilities. Both men claimed they were tortured in a Jordanian prison before being transferred into U.S. custody.
Muhammad al-Assad, 43, was arrested in his longtime home of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in December 2003 and ended up in what Amnesty International officials believe was a CIA "black site" prison. He was released from a Yemeni prison on March 14.
Anne FitzGerald, senior adviser on research policy for Amnesty International, said the men have never been given information about why they were arrested or why they were being held secretly.
The men do not allege that their American captors abused or tortured them, but if they were held incommunicado after being shifted to different countries, as they claim, that practice could violate international laws regarding detentions. The men were not allowed contact with the International Committee of the Red Cross and did not have access to lawyers, and their families thought they had disappeared.
A CIA spokeswoman declined to comment. Mohammed Albasha, press officer for the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, said Tuesday that he was not able to confirm the specific cases identified by Amnesty International. In general, Albasha said, "the Yemeni government will not release any convicts unless they are found to be . . . not directly or indirectly involved with a terrorist organization."
Amnesty International is calling on the United States to stop shifting detainees to other countries outside of judicial norms and to cease holding detainees in secret facilities where human rights organizations are unable to have contact with them. In its 37-page report, the organization asks governments worldwide to ensure they are not parties to secret detention and to prevent their airspace from being used for such activity.
The American Civil Liberties Union last week urged the United Nations human rights investigative body to open an inquiry into the U.S. program, saying what the CIA calls "rendition" is in violation of federal and international law.
Staff writer Dan Eggen contributed to this report.
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Get Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland and national news. Get the latest/breaking news, featuring national security, science and courts. Read news headlines from the nation and from The Washington Post. Visit www.washingtonpost.com/nation today.
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Rumsfeld Challenges Rice on 'Tactical Errors' in Iraq
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Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said he did not know what Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was talking about when she said last week that the United States had made thousands of "tactical errors" in handling the war in Iraq, a statement she later said was meant figuratively.
Speaking during a radio interview on WDAY in Fargo, N.D., on Tuesday, Rumsfeld said calling changes in military tactics during the war "errors" reflects a lack of understanding of warfare. Rumsfeld defended his war plan for Iraq but added that such plans inevitably do not survive first contact with the enemy.
"Why? Because the enemy's got a brain; the enemy watches what you do and then adjusts to that, so you have to constantly adjust and change your tactics, your techniques and your procedures," Rumsfeld told interviewer Scott Hennen, according to a Defense Department transcript. "If someone says, well, that's a tactical mistake, then I guess it's a lack of understanding, at least my understanding, of what warfare is about."
Rumsfeld's questioning of Rice's comment came amid long-standing tensions between their departments over the war in Iraq and other issues. Rumsfeld and the Pentagon have been criticized by members of Congress and even some retired generals for missteps in Iraq, such as failing to anticipate the insurgency.
On a trip to Britain, Rice told reporters Friday that "I know we've made tactical errors, thousands of them I'm sure," but that the strategic decisions will be the ones historians judge.
When asked about the comment the next day, Rice said she "wasn't sitting around counting" U.S. tactical errors and instead meant her remark figuratively. "The point I was making . . . is that, of course, if you've ever made decisions, you've undoubtedly made mistakes in the decisions that you've made, but that the important thing is to get the big strategic decisions right and that I am confident that the decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein and give the Iraqi people an opportunity for peace and democracy is the right decision."
In the radio interview, Hennen said Rice had "figuratively suggested recently we've made thousands of tactical errors" and "also suggested that the important test was making the right strategic decisions and that would be the test of history."
Hennen asked Rumsfeld: "Do you agree with that? Have we made thousands of tactical errors? And does that concern you?"
Rumsfeld replied: "I don't know what she was talking about, to be perfectly honest."
Rumsfeld pointed to the nature of the Iraq war -- unpredictable from the start -- as the reason the United States has had to change tactics over the past three years.
"If you had a static situation and you made a mistake in how you addressed the static situation, that would be one thing," he said. "What you have here is not a static situation, you have a dynamic situation with an enemy that thinks, uses their brain, constantly adjusts, and therefore our commanders have to constantly make tactical adjustments."
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Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said he did not know what Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was talking about when she said last week that the United States had made thousands of "tactical errors" in handling the war in Iraq, a statement she later said was meant figuratively.
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Nanotech Product Recalled in Germany
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Government officials in Germany have reported what appears to be the first health-related recall of a nanotechnology product, raising a potential public perception problem for the rapidly growing but still poorly understood field of science.
At least 77 people reported severe respiratory problems over a one-week period at the end of March -- including six who were hospitalized with pulmonary edema, or fluid in the lungs -- after using a "Magic Nano" bathroom cleansing product, according to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in Berlin.
Symptoms generally cleared up within 18 hours, though some had persistent breathing problems for days.
The spray is meant to be used on glass and ceramic surfaces to make them dirt- and water-repellant. "The distributors have launched a recall and advised against using the sprays," according to a statement from the institute, which is conducting tests on the product.
Nanotechnology is an emerging field of materials science involving substances smaller than one-ten-thousandth the width of a human hair. The tiny specks have chemical properties that make them potentially useful in engineering and medicine. But some can clog airways or trigger immune responses.
Studies of health effects have just begun in several countries, and regulatory agencies are still formulating their stances, but hundreds of nano products are already for sale.
It was unclear yesterday what kind of nanomaterial is in the spray, or even whether the particles were to blame. Every case has involved the aerosol spray-can form (the product was previously available in a pump bottle, without complications). And the propellant used in the aerosol has long been used uneventfully in hair sprays and other products.
David Rejeski, director of the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, said he has not seen the German product on the U.S. market. But a recently released survey of nano consumer products, compiled by his organization, lists other aerosolized nano products, including a foot spray.
"This really raises a bunch of interesting questions, since the public has been told that nano will cure diseases, not cause them," Rejeski said. "I think this is an important event in the nano world."
Michael Holman, an analyst at Lux Research in New York, which tracks the industry, said the spray may even be one of many products that lack engineered nanoparticles but claim to be "nano" for high-tech appeal. Even so, he said, "this is certainly a cautionary tale from a public perception standpoint."
"We've been encouraging companies and governments to be very careful and get their act together from a regulatory standpoint," he said, "to avoid the kind of problem that this potentially could be."
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Get Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland and national news. Get the latest/breaking news, featuring national security, science and courts. Read news headlines from the nation and from The Washington Post. Visit www.washingtonpost.com/nation today.
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Obesity Among U.S. Women Leveling Off, Study Shows
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The rapid rise in obesity has stalled among women in the United States, the first sign that the epidemic may be peaking, federal health officials reported yesterday.
After climbing continuously and quickly for decades, the percentage of American women who were obese held steady at about one-third between 1999 and 2004 -- marking the first time that has happened in any segment of the population, according to an analysis of the most recent national data.
Officials cautioned it is too soon to tell whether the plateau is the beginning of a trend or perhaps even a prelude to a decline. But they greeted the crest with cautious optimism.
"It looks like it's leveling off," said Cynthia L. Ogden of the National Center for Health Statistics, who reported the new data in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. "We'll need more data over the next few years to know for sure, but hopefully we'll see this continue, which would be terrific."
Ogden emphasized that it is a major public health problem that nearly two-thirds of U.S. women are still overweight and more than one-third are obese, and that the percentage of children, adolescents and men who are overweight and obese has continued to increase.
"There's good news and bad news," Ogden said. "We're definitely nowhere near being out of the woods."
But Ogden and others said the leveling of obesity among women could be a signal that the intense public health efforts to stem the epidemic in recent years may have begun to have an impact.
"There's growing awareness that this is not a healthy condition. Women historically have been the early adopters of positive health behaviors," said William H. Dietz of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. "This plateau may reflect an increased effort by women to control their weight." He speculated that the next group to show a similar trend may be children.
"Children and adolescents tend to be influenced by their mothers," Dietz said. "So perhaps we may see something similar start to happen in those groups."
The proportion of Americans who are overweight or obese has been rising steadily for more than 25 years, doubling among adults and tripling among children since the 1980s. Because obesity increases the risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other major health problems, the rapid rise has raised alarm among health experts.
For the new study, Ogden and her colleagues analyzed the most recent data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationally representative sample of nearly 8,400 adults and children.
Between surveys conducted in 1999-2000 and then again in 2003-2004, obesity rates worsened for most groups, increasing from about 14 percent to 18 percent in boys ages 2 to 19 and from about 14 percent to 16 percent in girls of that age. The percentage of men age 20 and older who were overweight increased from about 67 percent to 71 percent, and the proportion of those who were obese rose from about 27 percent to 31 percent. But the percentages of adult women who were overweight and obese remained steady at about 62 percent and 33 percent, respectively, the researchers found.
Several experts said women may be more responsive to anti-obesity campaigns because they tend to be more concerned about their weight, primarily for cosmetic reasons.
"We know that women in this society are very focused on their weight -- somewhat for health issues and somewhat for appearance issues," said June Stevens of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "That may make them more susceptible to the public health messages we have been sending out."
Alternatively, it could be that obesity among women peaked because most of the women who are genetically predisposed to become obese have done so. Because the obesity rate among women has historically led the rate for men, it could be that they reached a genetic saturation point sooner.
"Some people may be particularly vulnerable to this toxic environment in which we live," said Thomas A. Wadden of the University of Pennsylvania, president of the Obesity Society. "It's possible that most of the people who are genetically susceptible to obesity have gotten obese."
But overall Wadden and other experts saw little encouragement in the new numbers. The rate among women was still slightly higher than among men, and the rate of extreme obesity was particularly high among women.
"At first I thought, 'Oh, that's kind of reassuring,' " said JoAnn E. Manson of Harvard Medical School. "But overall there's not much reason for celebration in these numbers."
The rate of obesity among children and adolescents is particularly sobering, she said.
"We have not even begun to see the consequences of the epidemic we're seeing in children and adolescents and continuing for a lifetime," Manson said. "This is an alarming trend. It really should serve as a wake-up call that major societal changes are needed to address this epidemic."
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The rapid rise in obesity has stalled among women in the United States, the first sign that the epidemic may be peaking, federal health officials reported yesterday.
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A 1-2 Punch in Final
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BOSTON, April 3 -- The NCAA women's basketball championship game has seen its share of high-powered offenses, but Tuesday night's game between Duke and Maryland may set a new standard. In the past, the high-scoring teams that made it this far were carried by one spectacular player, such as Connecticut's Diana Taurasi in 2004 or Tennessee's Chamique Holdsclaw in 1998.
But the Blue Devils and the Terrapins, who finished 1-2 in the nation in scoring this season, feature much more diverse attacks. Each team features scorers at every position. While Duke's Monique Currie and Maryland's Crystal Langhorne lead their teams in star power, neither needs to have an outstanding game in order for her team to win.
"We're the true definition of a team," Maryland forward Laura Harper said. "We don't have a star, really. We don't look at anyone as being the player to stop because when you try to stop one of our players somebody else goes off. I think that's why we're so hard to beat."
Maryland has five players scoring in double figures, led by Langhorne's 17.4 points per game. And while Langhorne has been impressive throughout the tournament, the Terrapins wouldn't have made it to the championship game without Kristi Toliver pouring in 28 points against Utah in the region final or Harper exploding for 24 points against North Carolina in the national semifinal.
At 16.2 points per game, Currie is one of three players averaging in double figures for Duke. Yet the Blue Devils would not have made it this far without Alison Bales scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds against Connecticut in the region final or Abby Waner erupting for 14 points against Michigan State in the region semifinal.
Duke Coach Gail Goestenkors has long been a proponent of high-scoring, crowd-pleasing basketball. In her 14 seasons at the school, the Blue Devils have scored 100 points or more 42 times. This season, they have topped the century mark six times and reached 90 points a school-record 15 times. Their 86.3 points per game leads Division I. Without a doubt, it is a style that appeals to her players.
"I'd rather transition all day than have to run a play," Currie said. "It's just more fun that way, and you can play more freely."
Maryland's scoring average has skyrocketed since Coach Brenda Frese's arrival in 2002. Before she came to College Park, the Terrapins rarely broke 70 points. In three seasons, Maryland has gone from 67.4 points per game to 83.5 points per game -- second best in Division I.
"That's what people want to see in basketball," Maryland guard Shay Doron said. "They want to see the ball go in the basket.
"I love the pace of our games. [Frese] knew recruiting me, if you're going to build a program, and if I'm going to be a main part of that, it's going to have to be that kind of game."
Point guards play a big role in setting the tone and tempo of a game, and both teams have point guards who excel in this style. Duke's Lindsey Harding uses her defense to create fast-break opportunities and has a knack for finding teammates in the open court. Toliver has a good court awareness as well as a talent for hitting back-breaking three-pointers. Harding gave Maryland fits in Duke's 86-68 win in January. She tied a career high with 19 points and was a big reason the Blue Devils shot 58 percent from the floor.
"I think she's their best player on the team," Doron said. "Monique Currie probably gets all the attention and whatnot, but Harding does all the little things for them."
The key to setting up the fast break is rebounding, and both teams have post players who are dogged underneath the basket. Maryland grabs a Division I-leading 12.3 rebounds more than its opponents. Duke is outrebounding its competition by more than 10 per game. The Blue Devils had more rebounds in each of their two wins against the Terrapins this season, but fewer rebounds in their loss to Maryland. It is for that reason that the Terrapins have put a particular emphasis on rebounding, posting signs to remind the players of its importance.
"They are everywhere, even when we are sitting on the toilet," Harper said.
Indications are that this style of basketball is here to stay. A high school player scored 113 points in a game this year. A college redshirt freshman dunked twice in a game. The teams playing for the national championship are the two that lead Division I in scoring.
"Players are a lot more athletic," Currie said. "They're taking more shots, hitting more threes and the game is a lot faster so with that, scores are higher. I think that makes the game a lot more fun."
And the players believe it is exactly what women's basketball needs.
"I think the improved scoring helps the game a lot," Harper said. "I think most [people] look at the women's game as a slower-paced game, kind of boring, not really up and down. Now we are scoring, getting fast breaks, showing emotion and catching people's eyes. I think that is what is needed for the sport."
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The women's championship between Duke, the nation's top-ranked offense, and Laura Harper's Terps, No. 2 in scoring, could set a record for the most points ever in a title matchup.
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King's Dream
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WASHINGTON -- As word spread of Martin Luther King's death on that calamitous April day in 1968, so too did speculation as to what his legacy would be. Would his dream resonate through the ages? Or fade into oblivion like a once-popular tune?
The early victories on his home turf in the Deep South had given way to sputtering and quixotic campaigns elsewhere, when unfamiliar terrain often shifted in disturbing and surprising ways. In Memphis, violence had broken out for the first time on a march that King led, the FBI's harassment had continued to intensify, and dissension roiled King's camp.
The years immediately following his assassination also seemed a referendum on the entire era in which King came of age and rose to fame: Cautious optimism and patient appeals to conscience were supplanted by desperation and destruction; prayers and peaceful demonstrations seemed all but abandoned to more incendiary combinations, such as matches and gasoline.
King's dream certainly didn't die with him. The emergent black middle class picked it up and ran with it, as far away from the inner cities as they could get. The difficulties of those left behind tragically resemble the conditions that loomed during King's forays into Memphis and Chicago. They also suggest a conundrum that the African-American communities' most able strivers often have seemed to avoid in recent years: the responsibility of successful blacks to their less fortunate brethren.
Now the word "brethren" and its suggestion of family ties and mutual affection seems outdated. In the years leading up to the civil rights movement, even accommodationists agreed that a collective American-American progress -- not mere individual advancement -- should be our goal, with compassion and charity toward all. For instance, while ambitious blacks had scoffed at many of Booker T. Washington's timid pronouncements, few questioned him when he urged, "If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else."
Although responsibility for the dispossessed was very much a part of King's message, his fiercest critics assailed his own appetite for the good life, his fondness for silk pajamas and his early reluctance to go to jail. Some members of SNCC mocked him as "too middle class" and accused him of being "too bourgeois."
It is true that King's early life was privileged compared to most of his Southern black peers. Although his earliest memories of Depression-era Atlanta included seeing long lines of black men waiting in bread lines, he was always well-fed. At Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., where King took over the pulpit in 1954, his brilliant predecessor Vernon Johns had often taken his complacent congregation to task for being too conservative and snobbish. He even coined a term for such folk: "spinksterinkdum Negroes."
In truth, they were barely spitting distance from humbler beginnings, and King knew that as well as anyone. His father, himself a prominent and well-compensated clergyman, had been a sharecropper's son with little schooling to speak of. He left a poor, violence-ridden home at 14 and didn't return to school until age 20. He worked a series of night jobs while spending his days in a classroom alongside small children, mastering the basics of literacy. Eventually Martin Luther King Sr. rescued a debt-ridden church and built its membership from 200 to 4,000.
Sometimes I wonder if the average undereducated young man of today could muster the willpower needed to duplicate the elder King's ambitious labors. Sometimes I wonder if each subsequent generation of black men is somehow weaker and less motivated than the one before it. But, like the typical American, I am prone to distraction by the glare of the headlines.
I can look around my workplace and see that more black men are doing well than ever before. But I need look no farther than the expansive groups huddling on street corners near my home to recognize that more black men are also doing worse than ever before.
Vernon Johns, as eloquent as King, denounced anyone who didn't "thrill with joy when the least of men begin to pull in the direction of the stars." Among the unemployed, the uneducated -- and yes, the shiftless too -- the stars have become too distant to dream of, let alone follow. Thirty-eight years later, King's vision of a just society remains as compelling as ever. But dreaming increasingly seems a luxury available only to a few.
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Thirty-eight years later, King's vision of a just society remains as compelling as ever. But dreaming increasingly seems a luxury available only to a few.
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Federal Probe Has Edged Closer to Texan
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The pending resignation of former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), once one of the most powerful lawmakers in Washington, comes amid a federal criminal investigation that already has reached into his inner circle of longtime advisers.
DeLay faces a trial later this year on money-laundering charges in Texas that stems from an October 2005 indictment related to corporate contributions to state elections in 2001 and 2002. Since then, two former aides and one of his most prominent contributors have pleaded guilty in a separate federal probe to crimes including conspiracy; wire, tax and mail fraud; and corruption of public officials.
The picture appeared to darken further last week with the guilty plea of Tony C. Rudy, DeLay's former deputy chief of staff. Edwin A. Buckham, the lawmaker's former chief of staff and his closest political and spiritual adviser, was described in court documents filed in the case as someone who collaborated with Rudy, Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former DeLay aide Michael Scanlon. They arranged payments, trips and favors that the department's investigators charged were part of an illegal conspiracy, according to the documents.
DeLay himself was formally designated as "Representative #2" in the documents, a title that cannot be considered a good omen. The lawmaker designated in the same documents as Representative #1 -- Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio) -- has been cited by the Justice Department as having received "things of value" for performing official acts.
Ney has not been formally named a target of the probe and denies wrongdoing. But he agreed last October to sign a Justice Department document waiving the five-year expiration of the statute of limitations on any alleged crimes until late April.
DeLay attorney Richard Cullen said last night that his client's decision to withdraw was "not connected to the criminal investigation."
DeLay and Buckham also have not been accused of wrongdoing by federal prosecutors, and they have asserted their innocence. But some of DeLay's official actions in Congress clearly fall within the scope of the continuing investigation: Last week's guilty plea by Rudy cites as part of the evidence of conspiracy a letter that DeLay wrote on behalf of an Abramoff client and legislation that DeLay supported on behalf of a client of Abramoff's firm.
DeLay has assembled a substantial legal team to fight back, and he has a defense fund -- financed largely by corporations with business before Congress -- that contained more than $600,000 at the end of last year, based on the cumulative record of its receipts and contributions. But contributions to the fund dropped from $318,000 to $181,500 between the third and fourth quarters of 2005.
DeLay also is entitled under federal election rules to convert any or all of the remaining funds from his reelection campaign to his legal expenses, whether or not he resigns, is indicted or loses the election. Election lawyers say one advantage of bowing out of the election now is that the campaign cash can be converted to pay legal bills immediately, instead of being drained in the course of a bid to stay in office.
As of Feb. 15, when his campaign filed its most recent report with the Federal Election Commission, DeLay had $1,295,350 on hand. But that was two weeks before the Texas primary in which DeLay bested three Republican rivals to win renomination, and the pot of money available to him now may be considerably less.
By stepping aside so early in an election year, a lawmaker "wouldn't be spending to be reelected" and could transfer the funds immediately to fend off any federal charges, said lawyer Kenneth A. Gross, a former head of the FEC's enforcement division. The last lawmaker to gain the FEC's formal approval for such a transfer was Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.), who resigned last November after pleading guilty to evading taxes and accepting bribes.
Cunningham and DeLay shared a major contributor, Brent Wilkes, whose actions figured in the probe that led to Cunningham's eight-year prison term. Wilkes flew DeLay on his corporate jet at a time when he was seeking government contracts for his computer software firm, though no evidence has emerged that DeLay provided favors for Wilkes.
The central legal challenge for DeLay is more likely to arise from the work of the federal task force, made up of FBI and tax agents, Interior Department investigators, and prosecutors from the Justice Department's public integrity unit. A grand jury subpoena issued by the FBI in February for records of the U.S. Family Network, a nonprofit group formed by Buckham, specifically asked for any documents related to DeLay; his wife, Christine; Buckham's lobbying firm; Rudy; and a variety of contributors to the group from among Abramoff's client list.
Database editor Derek Willis contributed to this report.
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The pending resignation of former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), once one of the most powerful lawmakers in Washington, comes amid a federal criminal investigation that already has reached into his inner circle of longtime advisers.
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A Split on the Lines of Illegal Immigration
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Disagreements over how to deal with illegal immigration are splitting the Republican Party as few issues have lately, dividing state congressional delegations down the middle and bringing the Senate to a virtual standstill yesterday.
Epitomizing the divisions are Arizona's GOP senators, Jon Kyl and John McCain. Both face important elections and represent the same 5.8 million people. But they are leading the two main opposing approaches that Republican senators will have to reconcile if Congress is to address border security, illegal worker status, deportation practices and other issues.
McCain, hoping to gain the 2008 presidential nomination, is the chief sponsor of legislation that would give millions of illegal immigrants a path toward citizenship if they pay fines and back taxes, learn English, stay employed and do not break laws. Kyl, facing a potentially strong Democratic challenger this fall in his bid for a third term, is a key proponent of a guest-worker program that would require undocumented workers to return to their countries when their visas expire, a move that critics call unrealistic. Both bills would pour billions of dollars into greater border enforcement.
The House has approved an enforcement-only bill, but the immigration debate has deeply divided the Senate, especially its 55 Republicans. Party leaders unsuccessfully sought a compromise in several closed meetings yesterday.
"I'm very frustrated," Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) announced on the Senate floor. He accused Democrats of obstructionism, but Democrats shrugged off the charge. The Republican-controlled Judiciary Committee sent a bill to the floor that a majority of Republicans apparently will not embrace, they noted, because of the disagreements personified by Kyl and McCain.
McCain supports the committee-approved bill, but acknowledges that Congress's divisions over immigration reflect those of the public. "I live in a state where it's the number-one issue," he said yesterday. "I know that Americans are of different minds on this, including my state. But that doesn't mean the United States Senate shouldn't act."
Kyl spent much of the day on the Senate floor, trying to amend the committee bill to add tougher sanctions against some illegal immigrants, such as those with criminal records. Aides said he did not have time for interviews.
Experts on Arizona politics say the immigration issue generates enough crosscurrents to provide ample justification for both senators' views. On one hand, Arizonans have been alarmed by the influx of impoverished Mexicans pouring into the state following tougher enforcement on the Texas and California borders in recent years, said Rodolfo Espino, a political scientist at Arizona State University. But the state's booming construction and tourism industries crave the low-wage workers, he said, and the steadily growing number of legal immigrants are wary of actions they view as punitive to fellow Latinos.
"It's a pretty conservative electorate that Kyl is facing" this fall, Espino said, and his emphasis on tighter borders and sanctions against those who crossed illegally will probably serve him well. Kyl is largely in line with Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano, who declared a state of emergency along Arizona's Mexican border last August, Espino said, so the strategy may limit Democratic challenger Jim Pederson's room to maneuver on immigration.
"It was very surprising to see 20,000 people in the streets of Phoenix," Espino said, referring to the recent mass protest against the Kyl-backed legislation. "But in the short run, it's not going to scare any local politicians here." The prospect of a large pool of Latino citizens, eligible to vote, "is just too far off in the future for anyone to be concerned."
McCain, meanwhile, is virtually a legend in Arizona politics and has long thrived on bucking orthodox Republican positions on key issues, Espino said. Even if more Arizonans side with Kyl on immigration questions, he said, "this would not be enough to cause McCain trouble. He does enough other maverick things that endear him to the hearts and minds of Arizona voters."
The Kyl-McCain split also applies to Arizona's Republican-dominated House delegation. GOP Reps. Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake side with McCain, saying the notion of deporting millions of illegal immigrants is unfeasible. Rep. J.D. Hayworth, meanwhile, is one of the most vehement advocates of tightening the borders and criminalizing illegal immigrants before addressing guest-worker questions.
Tamar Jacoby, who studies immigration issues at the Manhattan Institute, supports McCain's approach but says Kyl should not be dismissed as someone seeking to score political points. Both McCain and Kyl "are reformers or would-be reformers," she said, noting their similar efforts to tighten control of border crossings.
"Kyl is not grandstanding for his reelection," Jacoby said. But his notion that millions of Mexicans will willingly return home after working in the United States for several years is unrealistic, she said. McCain's emphasis on helping such workers become citizens invested in their adopted country is the better long-range bet, she said.
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Latest politics news headlines from Washington DC. Follow 2006 elections, campaigns, Democrats, Republicans, political cartoons, opinions from The Washington Post. Features government policy, government tech, political analysis and reports.
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Letter on Immigration Deepens Split Among Evangelicals
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More than 50 evangelical Christian leaders and organizations voiced their support yesterday for an immigration bill that would allow illegal immigrants to become U.S. citizens without returning to their native countries.
The statement marks a deepening split among evangelicals over immigration. It was signed by a mixture of Hispanic and white church groups. But most of the nation's large, politically influential evangelical organizations either back rival legislation that focuses on border enforcement and the deportation of illegal immigrants, or have been silent on the issue.
Hispanic evangelical leaders said yesterday that they have received support from Roman Catholic, Jewish and Muslim groups, but have been bitterly disappointed by the response of most of their fellow evangelicals, both white and black.
"This is the watershed movement -- it's the moment where either we really forge relationships with the white evangelical church that will last for decades, or there is a possibility of a definitive schism here," said the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, which serves 10,700 Hispanic evangelical churches with 15 million members.
"There will be church ramifications to this, and there will be political ramifications," he said.
In a letter yesterday to President Bush and members of Congress, Rodriguez's group and its allies cited Bible passages that call for the compassionate treatment of foreigners. Specifically, the letter urged "border protection policies that are consistent with humanitarian values," streamlined procedures for reuniting separated families, and an option for undocumented workers to legalize their status.
The letter effectively endorsed a proposal by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.). The bill combines a guest-worker program with provisions allowing illegal immigrants to apply for citizenship after paying fines and back taxes, undergoing criminal background checks and learning English.
Among the signers was World Relief, the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals. But the NAE itself did not sign the letter because its members are divided on how to deal with immigration, said the Rev. Richard Cizik, the NAE's vice president for governmental affairs.
Polls show that about two-thirds of white evangelicals consider new immigrants a burden on society, compared with about half of all Americans who hold that view. On the other hand, Cizik said, most evangelicals realize that Latino immigrants are the fastest-growing part of their church.
"Evangelicals are a lot more sensitive to the plight of immigrants than outside observers might think," he said. "When you put together the biblical mandate to care for the alien and the receptivity of the Latino community to the evangel, to the gospel, you have a sensitivity factor that almost outweighs the traditional evangelical concern for law and order."
Some predominantly white evangelical groups, such as the Christian Coalition and Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum, have strongly opposed the Kennedy-McCain bill, labeling it an "amnesty" package. They support a House-passed measure that would concentrate on sealing U.S. borders and enforcing existing immigration laws.
"We think our national boundaries should be respected. That's a biblical principle also," said Christian Coalition lobbyist Jim Backlin.
Many larger groups, such as James C. Dobson's Colorado-based Focus on the Family, have not taken a stand on the issue. Rodriguez, of the Hispanic Christian conference, said his group wants to know why.
"We need to know from white evangelical leaders why did they not support comprehensive immigration reform, why they came down in favor exclusively of enforcement, without any mention of the compassionate side, without any mention of the Christian moral imperatives," he said.
"So down the road, when the white evangelical community calls us and says, 'We want to partner with you on marriage, we want to partner on family issues,' my first question will be: 'Where were you when 12 million of our brothers and sisters were about to be deported and 12 million families disenfranchised?' "
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Tokyo Trip Could Aid Talks on N. Korea
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TOKYO, April 5 -- Top officials from the six countries engaged in North Korean nuclear disarmament talks will converge in Tokyo next week at a private-sector conference, fueling hopes of unofficial meetings that could help restart the long-stalled negotiations.
Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Christopher Hill, Washington's chief envoy to the talks, is scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on Monday to meet with his counterparts from Japan and South Korea, U.S. officials said.
During his three-day visit, Hill will attend a Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue conference at which top negotiators from the other countries in the six-party talks -- China, Russia and North Korea -- will also be present.
It will be the first time that leading delegates from all six will be at the same forum since November, when the last round of talks ended in Beijing. North Korea has since resisted diplomatic efforts to return to the negotiating table, citing a global campaign by the U.S. Treasury Department to stem its alleged counterfeiting and money laundering operations.
Asian and U.S. diplomats said it was too early to tell whether any talks with the North Koreans would take place at the Tokyo conference. Michael Boyle, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, said no meeting between Hill and a visiting North Korean official had been arranged. "They will be at the same conference," Boyle said. "That's all we can say."
Some analysts have suggested that the North Koreans may try to stall for months or even years before allowing the six-party talks to resume. Others say that a U.S. initiative launched last year to root out the communist government's illicit activities has been effective in putting new pressure on it.
The Treasury Department has forced U.S. banks to sever ties with a bank in Macau that is allegedly tied to illicit North Korean funds, a move that has led banks around the world to curtail dealings with North Korea to avoid similar action.
On Wednesday, the Kyodo news agency reported that Japan's Foreign Ministry is considering issuing entry permits for North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye Gwan, the country's main envoy on the nuclear issue, and other officials.
Sponsored by the University of California's Institute of Global Conflict and Cooperation Sources, the Tokyo conference will gather top officials and academics from across the region.
It comes as Japan is taking more assertive steps on its own to pressure North Korea. Japanese politicians have made progress on both a bill threatening sanctions if it does not negotiate in good faith on the nuclear issue and a dispute over Japanese citizens abducted by the North Koreans during the 1970s and '80s to help train potential spies.
On Tuesday, Japan added 20 North Korean firms and institutions to an export restriction list aimed at keeping them from obtaining materials and technology that could have military use.
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TOKYO, April 5 -- Top officials from the six countries engaged in North Korean nuclear disarmament talks will converge in Tokyo next week at a private-sector conference, fueling hopes of unofficial meetings that could help restart the long-stalled negotiations.
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Ballpark Blues
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No amount of Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton and Mariah Carey songs could mask the pain. One by one, until the wee hours Monday morning, the reigning drag queens of Half Street SE descended the stairs at Ziegfeld's cabaret to strut their last, blowing kisses to admirers and making a few more sweepingly glamorous gestures -- all of it a farewell to the shabby but perfect place they called home for three decades.
Ziegfeld's, and four other establishments on the same forsaken industrial block at Half and O streets, closed yesterday in a cruelly predictable high school metaphor: The jocks win.
The city's oldest stretch of gay-oriented clubs, which date back to the 1970s, just happen to sit smack in the footprint of the planned Nationals baseball stadium. There were two years of rumors about closing or moving. Certainties were followed by brief reprieves, while the city argued with Major League Baseball on the stadium deal. Word came last week from a judge that the buildings have to go, so construction can begin.
Ella Fitzgerald (nee Donnell Robinson), the drag performer who ruled the roost here since 1980, dabbed at her eyes all night and complained of hip problems, wondering if the world would see her next on crutches, or in a wheelchair. She lip-synched to Donna Summer's "Last Dance." Then, in keeping with particularly moving drag performances, she gave the DJ the signal and did the song again. (People wept twice.)
All these years, Ella "has waddled up and down this dance floor. You can see the path she's worn," another drag queen, Xavier Onassis Bloomingdale, told the packed-sardine crowd -- gay men, mostly, and not all of them the kind you see on HGTV. Far from the happy, let's-walk-the-Labrador-to-Whole-Foods realm of Logan and Dupont circles, the O Street scene was the real deal: grubby, hidden even within sight of the Capitol, and just plain ugly-gorgeous.
Xavier, a wicked-eyed diva who has performed at the club for a fraction of the time Ella has, trash-talked the crowd into a mild frenzy: "Now they're going to build a baseball stadium here. And what are we going to do when it's done? Burn it down! That's right! We are gonna burn! It! Down! . . . [Bleep] baseball! Who gives a [bleep] about baseball?"
So now you've done it, Washington. You've spurned the queens, and they are both heartbroken and livid. Besides Ziegfeld's and its full-frontal go-go annex, Secrets, the block was also the home to the Glorious Health Club, Follies (a "movie theater," in the language of old newspaper clippings, back when police were raiding the place, charging the, um, moviegoers with acts of sodomy), and another club called Heat. Nation, a nightclub a few blocks north, has announced that it's closing July 16 to make way for an office building.
The buildings at Half and O were owned by Robert Siegel, who is still in mediation with the city over the financial compensation he and the business operators will receive, and whether they relocate.
Ziegfeld's and Secrets are owned by Allen Carroll and Chris Jansen, who have promised their clientele (in ads in the gay press, and in person at the farewell bash) that they are going to reopen -- someday, somewhere.
But no neighborhood wants them, and saving the clubs has so far not been placed very high on the gay agenda. Early in the baseball debate, after a proposal to relocate some clubs in Ward 5 was met with complaints, the city attempted to find Ziegfeld's another option:
"In P.G. County," scoffed Carroll, who told a city representative, "I am born and raised in D.C., and I have been down here 31 years. And they want us to move to Prince George's County?"
On the final night he was at his usual spot at the end of the bar, counting and stacking moist currency. Ziegfeld's economy revolved around dollar bills, which the bartenders -- always older guys in tuxedo shirts and bow ties -- would routinely give as change, so you would bestow them on your favorite drag queen, who would clinch heaps of cash in each fist like a pair of bridal bouquets.
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No amount of Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton and Mariah Carey songs could mask the pain. One by one, until the wee hours Monday morning, the reigning drag queens of Half Street SE descended the stairs at Ziegfeld's cabaret to strut their last, blowing kisses to admirers and making a few more...
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MTV's Logo Launches Programs for Cellphones
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Logo, an MTV entertainment channel that reaches a estimated 20 million viewers, has launched a cellphone video programming service targeted at the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered audience.
Logo, which launched on cable television last June, formed a partnership with cellular phone provider Amp'd Mobile to bring its content of sitcoms, news clips, comedy and reality television shows to cellphones.
The partnership deal comes as CTIA, the wireless industry's trade organization, kicks off its major annual trade show in Las Vegas this week. There, content companies such as Walt Disney Co. are expected to make big announcements about new ways of offering video content over faster Internet connections on phones.
Programming targeted at a specific audience -- youth, teens, the elderly or various ethnic groups -- is helping to create growth in the wireless industry. Increasingly, mainstream providers such as Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. see a market in wholesaling their network service to companies like ESPN, which then design and market their own brand of phones to specific groups, like sports fans.
With 200 million cellphone users in the United States, there is an increased push to make the content available on those phones as varied as the programming offered on cable television, said CTIA spokesman Joe Farren.
"Content providers have seen what wireless has been able to deliver for the music industry," Farren said. Last year, 10 percent of global music industry's sales came in the form of ring tones, and that continues to grow, he said. "What's coming up next is the video."
Amp'd Mobile, which launched last year, uses Verizon Wireless's high-speed EVDO network to sell music and video entertainment over its phones to its target market of 18- to 24-year-olds.
In addition to mainstream programming such as ESPN, Fox, NBC and MTV, the company has content from the "Ultimate Fighting Championships" and from Dub Magazine, which is an aftermarket car-parts periodical that focuses on customized cars. "Amp'd is all about offering an open platform for interesting content," said Seth Cummings, senior vice president for Internet content.
The new gay and lesbian content, called Logomotion, will include shows such as "Noah's Arc," which is about four friends in Los Angeles; "Trip Out," a look into gay-friendly hot spots around the world; and "Real Gay Stories," a behind-the-scenes look at Logo's documentaries and reality series.
Its service, which will be included as part of Amp'd Mobile's monthly package, will also include special programming, such as a standup comedy series created exclusively for mobile viewers. Mobile delivery of the content can also help an emerging network such as Logo to expand into markets that don't or cannot subscribe to its programming through digital cable television, said Logo general manager Lisa Sherman.
"Our users are interested in our brand," she said. "I think they want to consume it whenever they want, wherever they want."
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Stay updated on the latest technology news. Find profiles on different sectors of the tech industry. Learn about new developments in tech policy. Read technology reviews for PCs, laptops, cell phones, and other new gadgets.
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Housing Economics
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Read his story: Is Reliance on Real Estate a Crack in the Foundation?
Neil Irwin: Welcome, and thanks for joining us for a discussion of the housing market. Here we go . . .
Your article is very interesting. However, with this region insulated from various factors unlike other parts of the country what does your article mean to the 6 million or so residents in the D.C. Metro Area and our housing market? To take national data with regards to our national economy and try and throw a blanket over our market doesn't paint the whole picture. Everyone knows this region is an anomaly.
In short, what will change our housing market and local economy? That's the real question.
washingtonpost.com: Is Reliance on Real Estate a Crack in the Foundation?
Neil Irwin: There are two different ways to view the impact of the housing slowdown on the broader regional economy. This region has been less reliant on housing to support job growth than the US economy, because we've had strong job growth in other sectors (especially professional and business services). On the other hand, mortgage equity extraction, such as mortgage refinancings, has been higher here relative to incomes than elsewhere, which suggests we could be more vulnerable here than elsewhere to a slowdown in consumer spending.
Norwalk, Ohio: My wife accepted a job offer in Arlington. If we buy a house, we will be looking in the $500K range. Like everybody, we read stories of increased inventory,overvalued houses, and stalemates in buyer-seller price negotiations. Given these, should we buy in the current market or rent? If you advise rent, how long should we hold off from buying?
Neil Irwin: This is the fundamental question a lot of people are facing. I hate to disappoint, but I can't offer a solid answer. The future is unknowable even if, like me, you spend a lot of time looking at economic data.
That being the case, a lot of financial advisers would tell you this: Buy when it makes sense to buy. Buy when you expect to be in one place for five years or more, when you can afford a mortgage on a place you'll be happy with for a while, when you're prepared to ride out whatever ups and downs the real estate market has in the years ahead, then buy. Don't buy for the wrong reasons--because all your friends are, or because you expect 20 percent a year appreciation, which is unsustainable.
Dale City (Northern Va.): I just seperated from the military and me and my wife are now looking for a house. We are terrified that we will dump our life savings in a house and it will lose value. In your opinion what are the realistic odds prices will go down and how much. I know it's impossible to know what will happen, but if you had to guess.
Neil Irwin: I'm reluctant to suggest odds. Following what I wrote to the last questioner, think of it this way: If housing prices decline somewhat, or it becomes challenging to sell (as was the case in the 1990s) will I be financially wiped out? If so, it's probably a bad idea to buy now. If, based on your income and mortgage you can ride out the market whether it's up, down, or sideways, then most financial advisers would say that buying is a long-term sound decision.
Arlington (Waverly Hills), Va.: I've been noticing that the doom and glommers are out in full force now that the housing market is starting to slow. I'd love to see an article in the Post that tracks some of the more prominent economic forecasts. Some economists/prognosticators continually predict a recession year after year. Then when one finally ocurrs, they say take credit for predicting it. What they don't take credit for is missing wildly on their forecast in the previous 10 years.
Neil Irwin: You're right that there are perma-bears out there in the economic analysis game. But I would argue that the same exists on the other side of the optimism/pessimism scale. There are a ton of analysts out there who have a rosy view of the future at all times. I most value the economists who are genuinely unpredictable and offer fresh analysis, and don't get locked into one prism through which to view the economy.
Richmond, Va.: My son (who graduates from college this year) has accepted a job in the DC area. In looking at rent, he would have to hand 60% of his take-home pay to a landlord. Buying doesn't seem to be an option -- even the cheapest condos are more than what he can afford.
To me, rent is his only option. But he counters that if he rents, he won't be able to save money for the downpayment on a home. I'm at a loss for advising him. Any thoughts?
Neil Irwin: Thank you for the comments. This is indeed an awfully expensive place to live, and right now renting an apartment is usually cheaper than buying a comparable condo.
Falls Church, Va.: I currently own a condo in Tysons that has appreciated nicely but it is a double edged sword. Although the appreciation is nice with a combined income of 165k a year and a 75k down payment we cannot afford much more then a modest townhouse with regular financing (not interest only). If we used an interest only loan we could actually qualify for a decent home but we don't want to do this. Have prices of homes been pushed up even higher due to these interest only loans? And if everyone is doing it how can one get a home without using an interest only loan? Is this the longest and highest run up of prices ever or have there been other time periods? If there has what happened after those run up periods?
Neil Irwin: It's hard to prove, but I think there's pretty good evidence that the availability of interest only, negative amortization, and other unconventional loan products have contributed to the housing appreciation in the past three years. Housing prices have been rising so rapidly that people have wanted to buy at any cost, and have done so by taking out mortgages that are riskier than conventional fixed-rate or even adjustable rate loans.
There was a pretty remarkable boom in housing prices in the late 1980s, but this one, by many measures, is larger (it has lasted longer and included higher total appreciation). After that boom, housing prices declined in the early 1990s, leveled in the mid-90s, and didn't really start rising much until 1997 or 98. While it is possible that something similar will happen this time, real estate bulls note that in the early 90s, the Washington area was experiencing a decline in defense related jobs tied to the end of the cold war and there was a banking crisis that made mortgage loans difficult to get, two major factors in the decline in prices.
Arlington, Va.: For Richmond, VA-- the best option for saving in the D.C. area is to find a group house-- or at least a roommate. It's an option that's often overlooked by people who are worried about real estate expenses. It's a bit of a hardship, but less so if, like your son, you're just graduating college and have been living with your peers already. As a young professional I had a lot of fun living in group houses in Arlington-- and was able to save enough to buy a house as a young single female (though I still had roommates).
Neil Irwin: Here's an option for Richmond.
Falls Church, Va.: I am preparing to sell my condo, but everyone tells me the market is in a serious downturn and so perhaps I should wait. How likely is it, do you think, that the present downturn is simply a blip on the sceen, like a brief downturn of the stock market, and will soon recover and resume its upward trend? Thanks.
Neil Irwin: Real estate historically moves in much longer cycles than stocks. As I mentioned a moment ago, in the 1990s there was a down cycle that lasted 7 or 8 years. That's because people are slower to sell condos when demand softens than they are stocks; every day, buyers and sellers on the New York Stock Exchange find a market-clearing price and transactions happen. In real estate, owners decide, as you are considering, just not to sell rather than take a lower price. All of this is a long way to say: Don't count on only a brief downturn. It's possible, of course, but it's not the way real estate markets have behaved in the past.
RE: Richmond: A lot of young professionals share housing with several others their age and find a way to save money on small saleries. You might suggest this to your son. This is what i did when I first arrived, and saved enough for 20% down on a condo (it also helps to save in other areas - like not going to happy hour every night).
Neil Irwin: More advice for Richmond . . .
Bowie, Md.: I know this isn't Maryanne Haggerty's chat, but I'll still chime in because I'm sure you'll get a lot of questions to which this may help answer --
There have been only two true housing booms in this country in the last 100 years -- one right now and another after WWII. (Booms means housing increasing significantly over inflation.)
Making a real estate "round trip" is very expensive -- about 10-15% of the purchase price. Buying a house for short-term return is idiotic unless houses are in slump, which is clearly not the case today.
The principal investment value of a home is to protect your housing costs from inflation. Get a thirty year mortgage and in thirty years everything else will cost double what it does today, but you'll still be paying exactly the same mortgage.
Hence -- buy a house at payments you'll be happy with. Don't over-pay on the assumption you'll get some sort of break.
washingtonpost.com: Real Estate Discussions Archive
Neil Irwin: Thank you for sharing your views. This is has indeed been a housing boom with few precedents.
Leesburg, Va: I sold a townhome this past winter at a 12-15% reduced price since summer of 2005. The home sat on the market for about 6 months and we had a second mortgage, so we just had to sell and move on with our life. My comment is, I would have spent most of that 12-15% on for services/things for my new home, but now we've halted most purchases, except for necessities. I don't know how much of an impact, but since I do believe there are others out there in similar shoes, if enough of this scenario occurs where income lags behind the rising costs of everything (I see inflation everywhere I go), I think there must be a cause effect resulting in the near future.
Neil Irwin: Your scenario is the type that presents risks for the broader economy as housing slows. Consumer spending is vulnerable. The problem is, no one knows just how vulnerable. That's what will find out in the next couple of years.
Silver Spring, Md.: Check out this image of 47 lockboxes attached to a bench at the Halstead at Dunn Loring. This is a new condo building with 220 units. This place is infested with speculators and flippers trying to sell. http://bubblemeter.blogspot.com/2006/03/bubblicious-bench-flippers.html
Don't you think that prices for condos in the DC area will fall significantly given all the speculators trying to sell?
Neil Irwin: This is a pretty remarkable photo. It is a rather vivid illustration of just how much the market has shifted from a year or two ago, when you read of people lining up by the hundreds for chances to buy.
There is clearly immense supply of condos out there now. Whether this means condo prices will actually decline depends primarily on whether individual owners and developers drop their prices to a market-clearing price, or hold out indefinitely waiting for buyers. I have a colleague who bought a well-located D.C. condo in 1988, I believe, and sold it in 1998 for $10,000 less than she paid. Many buyers in recent years have done so without understanding that there can be long down or flat cycles in real estate, in addition to periods of extraordinary appreciation.
Washington, D.C.: We are in our mid 20's and looking to buy our first home. We realize that we could only afford a condo and want to stay in the city. We have been approved for far more than we can afford can actually afford monthly with a rate at 6.75% and 0 points. I am noticing a huge glut in condos and fear the condo market in D.C. will bottom out sometime soon. Are we at risk for buying an expensive 1 bedroom condo in the city to only lose money on it 4 years from now?
Neil Irwin: Are you at risk? Yes. Buying real estate for a four year time horizon, especially in the particularly volatile condo market, is by definition taking a significant financial risk, particularly given the leverage involved in making the purchase. That doesn't mean you shouldn't buy, it means you should only buy if you are prepared to take that risk, and will not be financially devestated if the condo market remains soft (or gets softer).
Baltimore, Md.: Jay Hancock, a business and finance writer for the Baltimore Sun, had a petty chilling column this morning about all the hybrid mortgages that are set to adjust--he says some will go from 4.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent. He says there are about $1 trillion dollars worth of such mortgages out there.
If you squeezed every nickel and dime to qualify for, say, a $500,000 home with one of these instruments, you are going to be in for a big financial hit. Also, for the Richmond young man moving to this area, he might want to take a look at Baltimore. The commute, using the MARC Train, is no farther than the remote suburbs of Montgomery or Prince William County. And home prices and rents are still a good 1/3 cheaper.
washingtonpost.com: "Teaser-rate mortgages to jolt poor with big bill" , by Jay Hancock, Baltimore Sun, April 5, 2006
Neil Irwin: This is indeed one of the big questions for the market going forward: How many people who took out some of the exotic loan products that mortgage brokers have been pushing lately will be in severe financial distress when they reset. It's something to watch very carefully.
Suitland, Md.: Your last response implies that 'over the next couple of years' the region will see further housing price softness. Would you explain why you hold that view?
Neil Irwin: That's not necessarily my view. My view is that there is real risk that the region will see furhter housing price softness, based on the way previous real estate cycles have played out. There's a reason they call it a cyclical industry.
I'd turn the question around though: What examples can you find from the past of real estate prices doubling or tripling in a seven year period, then having a slump of a few months and then immediately resuming a meteoric rise? If there are historical precedents for that, I'd love to hear about them. I'm not aware of any.
Arlington, Va.: One aspect to consider, should housing prices in the Washington, D.C. area finally be leveling off: the impact on local government tax base. In Arlington, the government has become fat and happy through soaring real estate prices. They no longer have any clue how to work within a budget (for this year, they are showing prudence by "limiting" the budget increase to 8%), and Arlington has become a socialist paradise with every interest group declaring its "right" to the taxpayers' money. If housing prices just stop appreciating, taxes sure won't, and that, in and of itself, will have a negative impact on homeowners.
Neil Irwin: This is an interesting point. One wrinkle that can help local government's finances is the very stickiness of real estate prices I mentioned earlier. If the volume of transactions falls off but prices don't really drop, then local tax assessors are justified in maintaining their current assessments on residential real estate, even if they can't increase assessments as they have in the past. I'm not sure, though, how tax assessors could get away with increasing assessments despite stable prices--seems like one could successfully appeal such an assessment.
47 lockboxes?!: And you know what? I can see the exact same thing happening at Metro West. I've been against that project from the beginning, and I'm going to roll on the floor laughing when that happens. The only thing better would be if the developers were the ones losing their shirts instead of the flippers.
Neil Irwin: Another thought, about the controversial new development in Fairfax County.
Sterling, Va.: This may be an impossible question without a crystal ball, but... what would you advise someone currently renting a house but interested in buying a house in the next 2-3 years in this area? Home prices are too far out of our reach right now and we feel a bit like vultures, watching and waiting for a downturn so that homes will be more affordable again. What signs would indicate that the time is right for us to make that move as buyers?
Neil Irwin: With real estate as with stocks, trying to time the market can be futile. Don't buy based on your expectations about what everybody else will do, which is unknowable. Buy based on the fundamentals of your situation: Are you confident you will be remaining where you are for several years? Can you afford a place you will be happy with? Will you receive more aggregate contentment by buying rather than renting? At that time, buy. Before that time, don't. Look at your home purchase as an avenue for finding a place to live, and the vicissitudes of the market afterward need not matter.
Homes as Homes and Homes as Investments: Neil,
This may sound like a dumb question but at some point when will people have to view their home purchase as a place to live and survive versus a place to live and prosper?
From an economic standpoint everyone can't buy a home with the prospect of appreciation and selling to move up. Will we see a time where folks actually stay in their homes for 20-30 years like other generations?
Your thoughts on how this will impact our housing market and local economy.
Neil Irwin: This tracks with my instincts. If you want to invest in real estate, buy stock in a real estate investment trust. You gain access to a more diversified set of real estate, run by real pros, and you never have to mow the grass or repair the roof. If you want to find somewhere to live, buy or rent based on works for your lifestyle and your finances and your plans.
That's traditionally how people have viewed housing in the U.S., and a mindset that has dissipated over the last several years.
Atlanta, Ga.: We did an interest only and we are SO happy - as long as you -don't- JUST pay the interest, you would build up equity. We set aside a certain amount every month that we will -at least- pay above the payments, and add more when we can. We've paid off $25k in 6 years, so it's not like we're just talk (that's in addition to a 100k HELOC). If you have the discipline, then you can get an interest only - just MAKE SURE to pay more than what they ask. Which you should be doing on a 30 year fixed, in any event.
Neil Irwin: It sounds like you are using your interest only loan responsibly. For the sake of the broader housing and economic outlook, we should hope that others with such loans are doing the same.
Bowie, MD.: Are there any indications that high-risk loans (e.g. interest-only ARMs) are threatening any part of the banking system?
Neil Irwin: Banking regulators have drafted guidance to try to avoid that threat. One could argue they're a little late in the game. Most bankers and other analysts I have spoken to belive that banks are well capitalized and able to withstand whatever stresses the housing slowdown puts on them. The biggest difference between now and the early 1990s is that more mortgage loans, including of the exotic variety, are securitized and sold off to all sorts of investors, rather than kept on the books of the banks that originated them. So, if you believe my sources, the risks are widely distributed enough that individual banks are less likely to be hurt badly by any downturn than they were 15 years ago.
Bethesda, Md.: According to MRIS, Total Number of Properties marked Contingent for the month of February (in Montgomery) was off by less than 1 percent. Sure, supply is way up. But demand is holding up nicely.
Neil Irwin: I don't have those numbers in front of me to confirm their accuracy, but it rings true to me. Supply has been soaring around the region, but demand has been reasonably stable.
Arlington, Va.: Hello. You suggest investing in a real estate investment trust. But hasn't the success of these the past few years been driven by the huge increase in housing prices? What happens to these REITs once price start to slide the next 3-5 years?
Neil Irwin: I suggest investing in REITs somewhat facetiously, just to point out that there are vehicles for investing in real estate other than by buying a home. It's true that apartment REITs like Avalon Bay and Archstone Smith have benefited from the strong housing market, and have converted some of their apartment holdings to condos. But there are also lots of REITs that own office buildings, industrial buildings, medical buildings, malls, strip retail centers, and other forms of real estate that have appreciated in the last several years but not in the same remarkable way residential real estate has.
Alexandria, Va.: I was all set to buy in Old Town at a new condo place until I started doing the math. With the price (considered LOW), the taxes, insurance, and condo fee, my cost of living would have shot up over $1100 per month. And I was being told by everyoe that I could afford it. That would mean: no cable, selling my car, ditching my gym membership, and well..no eating. Ever. I am in my 30s and make way too much money for my age. So I decided to not go forward, and was told by everyone that I was making the wrong decision. I guess my point is - that while I understand why owning is a good, I cannot fathom owning a place that puts you even more into debt. For the hope of a tax break and the POSSIBILITY of a high selling price in the future.
Neil Irwin: Thanks for sharing your thoughts . . .
Arlington, Va.: but DC is "different".
they aren't making anymore land.
babyboomers retiring and buying second homes.
real estate always goes up.
so sayeth NAR chief economist David Lareah, has anyone noticed that economists and weathermen are the only jobs where you can make completely assinine predictions and still keep your job?
Neil Irwin: Another thought from a reader . . .
Laurel, Md.: In very simple terms, one can think of long-term investments as consisting of stocks and hard assets, which includes things like real estate, gold and commodities like oil. (In real life, investing in the hard assets often means buying stocks in companies engaged in those businesses.)
We've been in a period where stocks have done essentially nothing for about five years and all the hard asset categoies have done very well. Washington is a great place to diversify when the rest of the country isn't doing much. In the second half of the nineties we watched many of our best and brighteset prospects go work in the IT hotbeds. Then the first half of the thousands they came back. So maybe it's time for the next turn of the cycle.
Neil Irwin: And one more thought . . .
Neil Irwin: Thanks to everyone for joining me and for some excellent, stimulating questions. So sorry I couldn't get to all of them. As you buy or sell your homes or see the housing market impacting the broader economy, drop me an e-mail (follow the link in my byline in the story).
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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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Tax Time Tips
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Haven't filed your taxes yet? Still have a few questions left unaswered? With only a few weeks left until the tax deadline (April 17, this year), Kathy Burlison , director of tax implementation for H&R Block corporate headquarters in Kansas City, Mo. was online to answer those last-minute questions.
For complete Tax Time coverage go to washingtonpost.com/tax .
Alexandria, Va.: My wife received short-term disability payments while on maternity leave (about 12 weeks worth). The company making the payments did not set aside federal taxes. I believe that short term disability is covered by my wife's company (but she pays for long term). Do we treat these insurance payments as income on our tax return? If so, this is an unfortunate surprise to us.
Kathy Burlison: Yes. When disability premiums are paid by the taxpayer with after-taxfunds, any benefits are not taxable. However, when the premiums are paid by the employer or with before-tax funds, the benefits are taxable.
Gaithersburg, Md.: For the first time ever, I owe Uncle Sam. How come there's no payment plan??? Geez, why do they make you come up with one big humpin' sum??
Kathy Burlison: You can set up an installment payment by submitting Form 9465. The IRS will assess a fee (it's $43 or $45, I don't remember which off-hand) for setting up the installment plan.
If you expect to be able to pay the entire amount within about two months, go ahead and submit what you can now (without the 9465). The IRS will send you a bill for the remainder (plus interest).
Make sure you file (or file a valid extention of time to file) by April 17 in order to avoid failure to file penalties of 5% a month (up to a maximum of 25%).
16th and M Streets, D.C.: What do you think of doing your taxes online, say with someone like TaxAct?
Kathy Burlison: As an employee of H&R Block, I'd rather recommend you use TaxCut online. I think that online tax preparation is an excellent solution for many taxpayers . . .convenient and readily available. One of the advantages of TaxCut online is that if you get stuck, you can easily transfer to an H&R Block tax pro to finish up.
Ocean Springs, Miss.: I lost a large number of personal items (not my home) in Hurricane Katrina and think I may itemize (joint return) rather than take the standard deduction. But the idea of listing every last pot and tee-shirt, giving the original price, etc., seems cumbersome. Is there a simpler way? My landscaping was messed up and will need a lot of work. Insurance settlement for all was about $600 because it was flood surge rather than wind that caused the loss.
Kathy Burlison: You're right, it is cumbersome. You'll need to have a decent record of what was lost, but you can try to consolidate as much as possible by grouping items. For example '25 t-shirts' rather than each one. Before you do all the work, you may want to make a ballpark estimate of your total loss after reimbursements and see if the savings are enough to make it worthwhile.
If you don't usually itemize, you may not be used to thinking about the other things that are deductible. Be sure to have information about state income taxes and personal property taxes, real estate taxes, mortgage interest, charitable contributions, medical expenses, and work-related expenses.
Arlington, Va.: Thanks so much for taking the time to answer a difficult question during this busy time of the year! I over-contributed to my Roth IRA by about $2000, and am withdrawing the amount of my excess contribution as well as any gains on that amount. Do you know whether I can make all of these corrections on this year's return, or whether I need to file an amended return next year once my bank issues a corrected 1099 on the excess gains? Thanks again!
Kathy Burlison: Have you considered recharacterising the contributions as a traditional IRA? You won't be able to deduct the contribution, but you can keep in it the IRA as long as the total is not more than the annual limit (generally, $4,000 for 2005, not to exceed earned income).
If you do take the money out, the earnings will be taxable in 2006. The original contribution will not be taxed.
Phoenix, Ariz.: I purchased a mutual fund in 2005 with an upfront load in 2005. It has not returned anything to me in 2005 or even 2006 yet I received a capital gain form. Do I have to pay taxes on this capital gain. Thank you
Kathy Burlison: Yes. Mutual funds have to report to investors the amount of capital gain that was realized by the sale of assets held by the fund. Your portion is reportable on this year's return. It will also be used to increase your basis in the fund, thereby reducing any gain when you sell all or part of your investment.
I've contributed to my children's education 529 plan. What do I need to file and what kind of deductings should I expect?
Kathy Burlison: There is no deduction on the federal return and there is nothing to file for the federal return. Some state allow deductions for contributions to the state-sponsored plan.
Anonymous: Have 3 nephews living in Mexico...who are supported 100%. Can I claim them as dependents. Have been supporting them for 5 years now. Thanks you!
Kathy Burlison: Yes if the following apply:
They are not married, or if they are they do not file joint U.S. returns.
They each have gross income of less than $3,200.
Leesburg, Va.: Thanks for the discussion. My employer's 401K plan failed the Non-Discrimination Testing and as a result I've been returned excess 401K contributions for calendar year 2005. I now have to account for that additional income on my tax return but my W-2 will not reflect my correct income. Where in the tax forms would I account for this return of excess contributions?
Kathy Burlison: Include it on line 7. If you're using software with the option to enter a 1099R form, create a 1099R using code 'P' as the distribution code and '2005' as the year to which the distribution applies.
You will receive a 2006 1099R with the information listed above, but it can't be reported in 2006. SO if you take care of reporting the refunded amount with your original 2005 return, you won't have to file an amended 2005 return when you get the 2006 1099R.
Burke, Va.: I have a question on charitable contributions. I give cash, donate goods and deduct mileage for volunteer work. At what point do I need to attach an additional form? No one thing is over $200, but all together they add up to $1200.
Kathy Burlison: If your total noncash contributions are more than $500, you need to attach Form 8283 detailing your noncash contributions.
Indian Head, Md.: I beame a realtor (sole proprietor) in Feb of 2005 and bought a new Toyota SUV at a cost of $35,000. I use it 80% for taking my clients around and this year I registered as a business use at my friends suggestion also with the dept of Motor vehicles.
Can I qualify to deduct the expense as section 179 in 2005? If not in 2006?
If I qualify in 2005 what do I need to deduct in 2006?
Kathy Burlison: You can take a 179 deduction in 2005 (you can't in 2006 because it wis not the year placed in service). THere is a dollar limit on the amount you can take, which varies depending on the gross vehicle weight and whether the vehicle is built on a truck or on an automobile frame.
In 2006, you will take a depreciation deduction , using the percent of business use, less the 179 deduction, as the depreciable basis.
If you depreciate the SUV, you'll also deduct a percentag eof your other vehicle costs (gas, oil change, repairs, maintenance, cleaning, etc.) and will not take the standard mileage rate.
Washington, D.C.: Hi Kathy- As a young 20 something in their first job, I was shocked to see that I owe a decent amount this year, especially after friends with similar situations (pay range, same amount of student loan interest claimed) are getting sizeable returns. I know there is the idea that not getting a return is actually better for an individual, but I can't help but wonder if I am doing something wrong, since so many in my same situation are getting something back. Anything you can shed on the matter would be great.
Kathy Burlison: You may want to look at the amount of tax being withheld. Perhaps your friends claimed Single and 0 allowancesa and you claimed Single and two allowances?
Laurel, Md.: I own some stocks with automatic dividend reinvestment plans (all dividends go to buy more shares). Can I just ignore the distributions and then count it all as a capital gain when I sell?
Kathy Burlison: The dividends are taxable in the current year and will add to the basis in your shares when you sell them. Each reinvestment is buying shares or fractions of shares, and the dividend amount becomes the basis in those shares.
Annapolis, Md.: I owe a small amount on taxes this year. Can I send a Western Union money order to pay my tax bill instead of a personal check?
Kathy Burlison: Yes. Make the money order payable to 'United States Treasury.'
Bethesda, Md.: Hi, My withholdings for 2005 were $12,304. My tax bill was $13,861. My withholdings for 2004 were $12,143. It appears I am short the 90% of my 2005 tax bill by only $143. Do I need to determine my penalty or is this amount small enough to be overlooked by the IRS. I have just adjusted my withholdings to prevent this from happening next year. Thank you for taking my question.
Kathy Burlison: No penalty for several reasons (given that taxes were paid through withholding rather than with estimates):
1) Your balance due is less than $1,000.
2) You've paid in 90% of your tax liability.
3) You paid in at least 100% of last year's tax liability amount.
Arlington, Va.: I owned a duplex, living in one half and renting out the other, and sold it in 2005. I sold the entire property in one transaction but now I am being told that I owe taxes on the capital gains for the rented portion. Is this correct, I thought I could avoid this since I lived on the property for over 2 years. Thanks for your response.
Kathy Burlison: Because the property consists of two units, and you only lived in one of the units, only one unit is treated as your principal residence and qualifies for the exclusion.
Hind sight being 20/20, you could have lived in one unit for two years, then moved to the other unit for two years and qualified for the exclusion on the entire property (with the exception of the amount that you deducted over the years in depreciation).
Washington, D.C.: I work for the federal government. Can I put the maximum amount into a Roth IRA if I also contribute the maximum amount to my Thrift Savings Plan (the government's 401(k) plan?)
Kathy Burlison: Yes, as long as your income is below the limits for Roth contributions (the phase-out is $150,000 to $160,000 for married filing jointly).
Potomac, Md.: I got married last year. Since my husband currently has a child support arrearage which will trigger a refund intercept by IRS; shouldn't I file taxes as -married, filing separately- so that I can recieve my full refund?
Kathy Burlison: You can do so but may want to work your return both ways. Married filing separately makes you ineligible for certain tax deductions and credits. If your combined refund is better filing married filing joint, you can do so and still get your portion of the refund by filing Form 8879, Injured Spouse Allocation.
Nowheresville, USA: I own a condo in VA. I lived in the condo for 7 years. Now it is occupied by a very good tenant for the past year. What costs can I deduct? (Condo fees, property taxes, etc..) Exactly how does depreciation work when renting a condo?
Kathy Burlison: ALl of your expenses related to teh condo are deductible. Mortgage interest, real estate taxes, maintenance fees, condo association fees, repairs, cleaning, advertising for tenants, insurance, utilities that you pay for the tenant.
Any improvements are depreciable as is the condo itself. In determining the basis to depreciate, take the lesser of the cost of the condo or its fair market value at the time you converted it to a rental. Be sure to take into account any improvements made while you lived there.
Do the same calculation for any appliances or other property that is rented with the condo.
Washington, D.C.: Are there any limits to when/how much the interest from a home equity loan can be deducted? I've always thought the full amount of interest paid can be deducted regardless of the use the money was put to; for example, painting a home, various upgrades to a home.
Kathy Burlison: So long as the proceeds are used for home improvemnets, the full amount is deductible (unless the total amount of mortgage principal is more than a million dollars).
If the proceeds are used for non-home-improvement purposes, the interest can only be deducted up to $100,000 of the loan amount used for other purposes.
Boston, Mass.: I have not filed 2004 fed taxes, however i have filed and recieved a refund for 2005. Is filing now too late or is there still time?
Kathy Burlison: YOu should still file yoru 2004 tax return. Three years after the filing deadline, you will not be able to receive any refund you're due (but you'll still owe any balance due!)
So, the deadline for getting a refund by filing your 2004 tax return is April 15, 2008. However, the IRS doesn't always know that you're due a refund. If they think you might owe money on an unfiled tax return, they may hold up refunds on returns in future years.
Arlington, Va.: I am a homeowner but also own a small piece of rural property that I go camping on. Can I include the interest paid on the mortgage for this other property in my interest deductions?
Kathy Burlison: The land will not qualify as a second home (for which the mortgage interest deduction is allowed) if it does not have living quarters (mobile home, house boat, permanent structure with facilities) on it. Your real estate taxes are deductible.
If the land was purchased primarily as an investment (so that you can sell it at a gain), you may be able to deduct the interest as investment interest. The deduction is limited to the amount of your investment income, but any amount not used because of this limit can be carried to future years.
Alexandria, Va.: Each of the past few years I am closer and closer to having to pay the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). Is Congress considering adjusting the threshholds for qualifying for the AMT for inflation? Is there any hope in sight?
Kathy Burlison: It is considered on a regular basis but there's no great promise of a real solution. THe long-term cost of eliminating it is high (of course, so is the cost to the taxpayer of paying it!).
Arlington, Va.: To the 20-something who is owing while all of her friends are getting refunds: If she has enough money to pay what's owed on Apr. 15, and the amount is not large enough to trigger an underpayment penalty, she is better off than her friends. They are making an interest-free loan to the government, while she is holding on to her own money as long as she can. She may want to leave her exemption status just the way it is.
Kathy Burlison: Good point! I was too targeted on answering her question about the reason for the differences!
Washington, D.C.: I am a landlord who pays a property manager (a relative) to manage the property. What do I need to provide the property manager for tax purposes? An I-9? Is there anything else I need to do from a tax perspective?
Kathy Burlison: If the property manager is an independent contractor, you'll need to provide a Form 1099-MISC showing the amount paid. If he's an employee, you'll need to provide a W-2.
You'll also file the 1099-MISC with the IRS (if earnings are more than $600 for the year); if it's a W-2, you'll also file Fomr W-3 with the Social Security Administration and will need to file 940-series forms to report withholding and employer taxes.
Next year, you'll want to have the appropriate forms to the property manager by Janaury 31 and submitted to the IRS (or SSA) by February 28.
Arlington, Va.: I made an error on my 2003 Tax Return (did not reduce Child Care Deduction based on income level). Got notice last fall from IRS (not called an audit) and agreed to the error and paid an addtional $900 in tax. Doesn't that then effect my state tax return for 2003 and then my 2004 returns?
Kathy Burlison: It might, depending on the rules for your state. If it does, you shoudl file an amended state return for 2003. Any additional amount of state tax you pay in 2006 for this change will be deductible on your 2006 return as state income tax paid (if you itemize). The extra amount paid in federal taxes may be deductible on your 2005 state return if your state allows you to deduct federal taxes paid.
Falls Church, Va: I am divorced-single male and I pay child support (2 kids) on a regular basis, How do I qualify for Head of Household?
Kathy Burlison: You can only qualify for head of household if at least one qualifying child lived with you for more than half the year and you provided more than half the household support.
You may be able to claim the children as dependents and claim the child tax credit if your divorce decree allows you to do so (without any contingencies)or if your ex allows you to do so by providing Form 8332.
Raleigh, N.C.: My wife (we've been married since 1998) has owned a second home (in another state) for the last 25 years. Home is paid for. Was "given" to her back in 1980 by grandmother (while grandmother still alive--not an inheritance) to help her build credit. Home actually intended for my wife's mother, but because my mother-in-law had lawsuit, they decided to keep in my wife's name. But my mother-in-law is the one who's looked after home, paid taxes and insurance, made repairs, and when rented, received all rental income (it's been vacant for last 3 years). My wife never contributed to upkeep or received any income.
In 2005, home (uninsured) suffered major fire damage. In late 2005, my wife transferred title ("gave back") of the home to her mother. She didn't receive any money from mother (in their eyes it never belonged to her). The home has not been sold. Still owned by mother-in-law.
QUESTION 1 - Does my wife have any tax liability for "owning this home"?
QUESTION 2 - Can someone (wife or mother-in-law) claim a casualty loss on home for 2005?
Kathy Burlison: Question 1: NO income tax liability. She may need to file a gift tax return if the value of the home when it was given to her mother was more than $11,000.
Question 2: Because the home was owned by your wife at the time of the fire, any casualty loss on the home is claimed by her.
Palo Alto, Calif.: In response to the participant from Bethesda, you gave three reasons why he/she didn't owe a penalty, but from my reading, (1) doesn't apply, because they owe over $1,500, (2) doesn't apply, because they paid less than 89% of their 2005 taxes via witholding, and therefore only (3) applies--saving the day--because they -did- pay at least as much in 2005 as they did in 2004 meaning no penalty is owed. I assume that that's what you meant?
Kathy Burlison: I must have misread the original. I thought the number indicated they owed only $143 and they said they had paid in 90%. If that is not accurate, please accept my apologies.
Bethesda, MD Tax Withholdings: Hi, Thank you for the info but to clarify, I do owe $1,535 this year and was short the 90% tax liability for this year by $143. And I also did not withhold to 100% of last year tax liability as you stated. Please help. Do I owe a penalty??
2005 tax bill 13,861 -- withheld - 12,304 - owe about $1,557
2004 tax bill 13,069 -- withheld 12,143
Kathy Burlison: Again, my apologies. I read through the numbers much too quickly! You will owe a penalty . . .calculated on Form 2210.
Sterling, Va.: Received 1099 for consulting services. Should the 1099 include only actual payments received for the year or the total dollar amount of the timesheets submitted though some payments were received in 2006.
Kathy Burlison: It shoudl include all checks made out to you in 2005. (The last check of the year may have been received in 2006 but will still be included in 2005 income.)
Arlington, Va.: I am confused about the limits on deducting mortgage interest. During the last 5 months of 2005, I had two homes with the mortgages totaling $800K. I know I cannot deduct all of the interest as the limit for married, filing separately is $500K. I am stumped when it comes to figuring out how much I can deduct. Any help? thank you so much!
Kathy Burlison: If one mortgage is less than $500,000, first take that one in full. Then prorate the remaining loan by the remaining amount up to $500,000 over the total loan amount. Apply that ratio to the interest on that loan.
Alternatively, take $500,000 over the total loan amount and apply that ratio to the total interest paid.
Montreal, QC: Hi Kathy, I worked in the US in 2005 from January to the end of June. Then I began working in Quebec mid-October through the end of the year. I started my federal filing with TurboTax online and it seems like I owe money based on my total (US + world income). Does this sound right? Do I really need to count what I earned in Canada as income for last year when filing for the US (and convert amount to US dollars)? Will I need to wait until after I file in Canada/Quebec to file in the US?
Kathy Burlison: If you are a U.S. citizen or resident you will need to include the Canadian income. You can claim a credit for the taxes paid to Canada using Form 1116 (once you have your final Canadian information).
Depending on your plans for living in Canada in 2006, you may also qualify to exclude the Canadian earned income from U.S. tax using Form 2555.
Kathy Burlison: I'm afraid we're out of time for today's chat. Thank you for your questions (and clarifications!). Best wishes as you complete your returns!
washingtonpost.com: Our thanks to Kathy Burlison for joining us today. For more tax related tips and resources, be sure to checkout post.com's Tax Time Special Report .
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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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With two weeks left until the tax deadline, Kathy Burlison, director of tax implementation at H&R Block was online to answer last minute questions about filing your taxes.
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Are Faith Groups Better Than Government at Social Services?
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As an erstwhile clergyman whose second vocation was in a city government's federal programs division, I doubt very seriously that faith-based programs are more effective than government programs in delivering social services.
The number of "dry drunks" and substanceless abusers in almost any church suggests that the M.O. of religious institutions is not so much a treatment of root problems as displacement of one shield against reality by another.
In any case, as surely as funds are fungible, faith-based initiatives are effectively government establishment of amorphous religion.
Edwin Stanfield , Little Rock
Faith-based charities take their directive not from bureaucracy, rather from belief in a generous God. Secular agencies budget millions of dollars for social programs, while religious groups scrape and beg and plead. But church-sponsored aid has a resource beyond cash value: volunteers.
Unselfish and under-appreciated, volunteers peer into desperate eyes with the strengthening light of faith.
Many government employees seem to work for pay and pension, and the crush of the needy forces otherwise good people to shield themselves behind professional distance. Not so with volunteers.
These heroes and altruists treat the anonymous poor as fellow humans suffering.
Lawrence P. McGuire , Waldorf
I have worked in the nonprofit world since 1990, including six years at a religious nonprofit. Nonprofits are more often less skilled than government organizations, and they rely heavily on large numbers of untrained volunteers. The religious nonprofits are less skilled than other nonprofits.
Responsible religious nonprofits can show a different level of compassion and understanding. But there are some that try to indoctrinate with their beliefs.
There was a homeless shelter in Denver,
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As an erstwhile clergyman whose second vocation was in a city government's federal programs division, I doubt very seriously that faith-based programs are more effective than government programs in delivering social services.
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The Chat House
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Welcome to another edition of The Chat House where Post columnist Michael Wilbon was online Tuesday, April 4, at 1:30 p.m. ET to take your questions and comments about the NCAA tournament, other sports news and his recent columns.
A Few Choice Picks: Tony Kornheiser
washingtonpost.com: Please stay tuned. Michael Wilbon will be with us shortly ...
washingtonpost.com: This discussion is delayed until further notice -- please stay tuned for further details (it could still happen this afternoon). Thank you very much.
Michael Wilbon: Okay, the only thing I've ever been any good as it communicating, but today not even that. I presumed we were chatting Tuesday, after the NCAA Championship game and not before it. I did this, of course, without first telling washingtonpost.com, which is pretty dumb as dumbness goes. I apologize to all those who set aside time to chat, mostly about GeorgeMason I'm sure ... If you'll forgive my knuckleheadedness and join us Tuesday at 1:15 I'd be might grateful. We'll do an hour-plus wrapping up the NCAA Tournament, a bit of baseball for you seamheads and maybe an NBA questionor two. Sorry for the goof and we'll get at it Tuesday ... same time, same channel. Mike Wilbon
washingtonpost.com: The previous messages were posted on Monday, April 3, when Michael Wilbon's discussion was originally scheduled. See below beginning at 1:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 4, to read along in the Chat House. Thank you for sending your questions to Michael Wilbon...
Alexandria, Va.: Are you going to check out the Lady Terps in action tonight???
It may not have the same marquee as the men's team playing Duke, but this Maryland/Duke matchup is probably just as important as the 2004 matchup for the ACC Title.
Michael Wilbon: Not only will I check out the University of Maryland women's hoopsters tonight, but I watched the semifinal game and the regional finals...and not just of the Terrapins, but the entire tournament...and let's not try to compare women's basketball to men's basketball in importance or popularity...Why? Neither needs it.
Gaithersburg, Md.: Are you going to make any appearances with your PTI partner in crime on MNF this fall, or is Mr. Tony scared of you taking away his job?
Michael Wilbon: Tony and I will be doing PTI from the Monday Night Football venue each week, so I'll be there...If you mean, will I be in THE BOOTH with Tony and Joe and Mike? Uh, no.
Baltimore, Md.: How are you going to live with the fact that Tony picked UCLA for the championship game on his bracket, and you didn't have any of the final four?
Michael Wilbon: Kudos to Mr. Tony for getting UCLA in the title game...I had LSU, UCONN, Pitt and Boston College. So what did I know? The only thing I got right was my prediction on Selection Sunday, in Monday's editions of The Post, that this tournament would be filled with upsets and the top seeds would go away...So, I salvage that...but not the results of my pool picks. $%^&*#@$%&!
Brooklyn, N.Y.: Yo Mikey. How could you deny Ewing his NCAA Championship?? He won't it in 1984. Come on man, that's Bush league!
Michael Wilbon: What are you talking about. I covered the team. I know he won a championship. Don't come to the Chat House with blind questions. If you've got something specific to ask, have the background ready and ask it.
Reston, Va.: So did Tony actually get on a plane last week?
Michael Wilbon: Yes sir...he sure did. Took that 23-hour train ride to the NFL owners meetings in Orlando...AND FLEW BACK! Wow. Can't wait to see how long this lasts. But I hope it does. He'll have much more time to work on his long irons and he'll be a whole lot less grumpy.
Washington, D.C.: "But Noah does have something Ewing has and Olajuwon doesn't: an NCAA championship"
Michael Wilbon: HELLO! Something that Ewing HAS (a national title) and that Olajuwon doesn't. HELLO! Olajuwon never won. Ewing did. WAKE UP!
Alexandria, Va.: A co-worker of mine say Noah isn't ready for the NBA, I say he is. What do you say?
Michael Wilbon: That he's ready to contribute...That he can play and help a team right now, like this week if he was allowed. He's 7 feet, blocks shots, plays defense, rebounds, sets screens, steals the ball...Is he polished? No. Does he have any offensive game whatsoever? No. But he's better right now than Kwame Brown after four-plus years in the league.
Chicago, Ill.: What'd you think about Juan Pierre and the Cubs yesterday??
Michael Wilbon: They won, right? I couldn't see the game because I was involved with the Basketball Hall of Fame press conference with the new members (Barkley/Dumars/Auriemma/Wilkins/Gavitt/the Italian national coach)....but I did see some highlights and Pierre got, what, three hits. I'm happy...for today. I'm even wearing a Cubs road jersey. Let's play two!
Alexandria, Va.: How are your Cubs going to do this year with even more injuries to Wood and Prior??
They scored a lot of runs yesterday, but something tells me they may not even finish ahead of the Pirates this season!
Michael Wilbon: They'll finish, oh, 5th...4th if we're lucky. I have zero expectations.
Washinton, D.C.: What happens to the losing team's "National Champions" t-shirts?
Michael Wilbon: They're left in a box in the dressing room of the arena. Seriously, I have one from the 2003 Cubs fiasco...Have it framed in my home-office as a painful reminder of what might have been.
Germantown, Md.: After LSU knocked off Duke, ESPN had folks saying the JJ Reddick had basically played his way in the tourney out of a lottery pick.
Do you think that's true?
I can see where they are coming from. NBA drafts on potential. The kid will get bigger or stronger or develop his game in a certain way.
Michael Wilbon: I think some scouts were already looking to push Reddick down a little in the draft. But it's not that Duke lost that will hurt Reddick...It's just the WAY Reddick was defended. The moment he ran up against some really athletic, really long defenders he had trouble getting his shot off. The pros wonder whether Reddick can play against physical players, and whether he can handle the ball well enough to play some point guard. Reddick was a great, great, great college player. In the NBA he could be a solid player on a good team, or incidental (but with a higher scoring average) on a great team. For Reddick's long-term future, he ought to hope he slides down in the draft...all the way, to say, Cleveland, where he could have open jumpers the rest of his life if he plays with LeBron...or for that matter, with Kobe...Get the point? Reddick can be an effective pro if he plays with a dominant player who draws double-teams every night. But Reddick doesn't want to join some bad outfit and have to play straight up every night.
VA Beach, Va.: What's up with Dickey V not making the HOF? I mean when you think college basketball you think Dickey V...he deserves to be in!
Michael Wilbon: I think be belongs, without question. I love Dick Vitale...and Vitale has done more for the popularity of college basketball than any one person out there...I mean, seriously. What the hell was college basketball in the 1970s? It was a niche sport...People loved it in the northeast (where they didn't have college football) and in spots like Tobacco Road, Indiana/Ohio/Illinois/Michigan, and southern California. In the south, it was just a way for tight ends and receivers to keep in shape for football season. Okay, I'm exaggerating...but not by a whole lot. College basektball exploded with ESPN and Dickie V in the early 1980s. Cable TV gave life to college hoops. He should be in the Hall of Fame.
Ashburn, Va.: Mike, I've been sitting here since yesterday waiting for ya!! Just kidding. How do you think the other schools in the area will react to Mason's run in the tourney? Do you see Maryland or G'Town playing them during the season or even possibly getting a city series set up similar to the Big 5 series in Philly. Now that would be some fun.
Michael Wilbon: Great question...I don't think the locals, absent some huge local TV money, will play each other. Too much in-fighting, old feuds and petty junk. I'd love to see it, but I don't think it will happen. And yes, I think Mason's run will make the other local teams redouble their efforts, all of them. Georgetown is already on that upswing. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me to see Georgetown make a run to the Final Four next year.
Chicago, Ill.: You guys doing anything special for the World Cup? If Tony's that into flying, maybe he can head to Germany to cover the team with his boy Bruce Arena, a fellow Long Islander...
Michael Wilbon: Here's what we'll be doing special for the World Cup: watching.
Bethesda, Md.: Any prediction for the lady's game tonight?
Michael Wilbon: No prediction...but I must admit I'd like to see Maryland win...though Monique Currie is a Bullis grad and a D.C. kid so I have no trouble rooting for her either.
Augusta Wannabe: Mike, any opinion on the state of Tiger's game and psyche going into the Masters? And is Augusta National as pretty as it looks on TV?
Michael Wilbon: The only question about Tiger is really about Earl Woods. How is his father's condition? Well, we know it isn't good, but I'm wondering how bad Earl is. Tiger is exceptionally close to his dad...incredibly close. People can say all they want that he should just go out and play for his dad. But my father died of cancer when I was 27. You don't just put that out of your mind. It was on my mind 24/7. I went ahead and worked the Final Four the week after he died because he told me that's what he wanted. We loved basketball, watched it together growing up, and he more or less ordered me back to work a few days before he died...But that's not competing. That's not trying to be at your best against the best in the world. And I know I could barely concentrate at times.
Chicago, Ill.: If your boy Boeheim gets his wish and more teams in the tourney, does that mean the NIT goes away? How would that work in terms of practical timelines - opening round games on Tuesday after Selection Sunday? Are those games played on campus sites? Would you go up by 16, 32 or what? Personally, I hate the "65th" team concept and play-in game, especially when they give it to teams that qualified for the tournament (not at-large selections) - those kids on both teams earned the right to play in the tournament, not a Tuesday night game in Dayton.
Michael Wilbon: The NIT would not go away and we're talking only one more play-in game from what I heard this morning in a conversatino with someone who would know...for sure.
Wheaton, Md.: Was Geoge Mason's run this year a fluke, or is this a program on the rise nationally?
Michael Wilbon: You can be on the rise, become a really good program in the top 25 or so but still not get to the Final Four. Look at a program like Temple, which is a nationally respected program but hasn't gotten as far as George Mason just did. A lot of the answer to this depends on whether Coach Jim Larranaga stays or goes.
Arlington, Va.: Sorry, but as someone who teaches writing, I must say that the sentence alluded to above my vindicate your sports knowledge but is awfully sloppy. Shame on your editor. You are clearly suggesting a contrast between Noah, on the one hand, and Ewing and Olajuwan, on the other. The fact that the contrast doesn't hold for one, Ewing, destroys the premise.
Michael Wilbon: What? First of all, look back at this sentence that you wrote, which is sloppy. Second, Noah has something that Ewing has but Olajuwon does not is perfectly plain...And I'll disagram a sentence with anybody! Take that. (I'm popping my jersey right now)!
Denver, Colo.: Did you catch any of the McD's AA game last week? The announcing team had already carved out a bust for Greg Oden in the HOF. What do you think his impact will be for the Buckeyes next year? And do you think he is serious when he says he isn't one and done to the NBA?
Michael Wilbon: It's too early for Noah to make any declarations that matter...and he's only got two weeks to make up his mind. So we KNOW it's too early for Oden to know. But Ohio State is going to be a monster, and not just because of 7-foot Oden, who like Noah, is a kid who doesn't think he's anywhere near as good as he really is. Mike Conley is going there and some other big-time recruit whose name I can't think of.
Seattle, Wash.: "College basektball exploded with ESPN and Dickie V in the early 1980s. Cable TV gave life to college hoops."
Not to take anything away from Dick Vitale, who is great, but did the big Michigan State-Indiana State matchup not have something to do with this too? I'm too young to be sure myself.
(Also, I don't care for him much, but I think it's "JJ Redick," not "JJ Reddick.")
Michael Wilbon: Magic and Bird were a one-time deal, one game. Yes, that game was enormous. But the night-after-night pounding into the sports culture of college hoops by ESPN and Dick Vitale was some kind of follow up, was it not? And look how long that lasted. That Bird vs. Magic game was 27 years ago. You'd have to be 36, 37 years old to have even vague memories of it.
Gaithersburg, Md.: Reddick is going to go the way of Trajan Langdon, a great shooter who just couldn't cut it in the NBA. The game against LSU proved that he can't take it inside against quality big men, and he still can't create his own shot on the outside without coming off three or four staggered screens.
Do you really think Noah can top the NBA draft this year? I know it's the first year without high schoolers, but I think Adam Morrison, aside from his crying and porn mustache, is the next Dirk Nowitzki in the making. Also, Tyrus Thomas, Glen Davis, and Sheldon Williams have more polish than Noah demonstrated in 6 games. 6 good games on national TV does not make a #1 pick...MJ watching high school pickup games does (Kwame Brown)!
Michael Wilbon: Sheldon Williams over Noah??? Sorry, not in a million years. Sheldon Williams is a nice player. Let's see if they both come out this year, which goes higher. No question, if you ask any NBA scout. Williams doesn't block six and seven shots a game...and in the championship game? Are you kidding me. The kid blocked 29 shots in six games. That's an average of almost five a game. And that's only one element. Sheldon Williams can't handle the ball like Noah, or pass it like Noah. And Reddick's success will depend, to a great degree, on the system he will play in...
Kensington, Md.: In response to a previous question, you said Noah was "ready to contribute." This morning you seemed to be saying if he comes out, he should be the first pick? Has your enthusiasm waned since last night?
Michael Wilbon: No, I never said he'll be a star in the NBA. Ready to contribute is big. Kwame Brown was taken No. 1 and he's barely able to contribute now. Contribution shouldn't be taken for granted. You think the Wizards couldn't use a 7-footer who was ready to contribute right away?
Ithaca, N.Y.: Any chance of Gerry McNamara getting drafted? If Steve Blake is successful, can't G-Mac be too?
Michael Wilbon: Drafted? No, I don't think so. But he'll get a serious look. Mac could be better for a good team with a specific need: off-the-bench shooting.
Michael Wilbon: Okay, gotta run now to prepare for PTI. Those of you who are asking how I forgot that Ewing didn't win a title need to actually stop and read the column again. In the meantime, I'm being screamed at by Mr. Tony to get into the conference here...so I will. Until next week, Monday for sure, when we discuss The Masters and a bunch of stuff.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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 columnist Michael Wilbon took your questions and comments about the latest sports news.
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Terps Leap Into NCAA Final
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BOSTON, April 2 -- Maryland's basketball players spent the last week declaring that they expected to win here, but they celebrated Sunday night with the fervor of an underdog.
After an 81-70 win over North Carolina in the women's Final Four, seven Maryland players skipped in unison across the floor at TD Banknorth Garden. They stopped in front of the Maryland cheering section, where two players cried and three others danced.
There was much more to celebrate, players said later, than the team's first berth in the NCAA tournament championship game, which will be played Tuesday. By upsetting top-ranked North Carolina, second-seeded Maryland realized a historically rapid ascent from mediocrity into the elite echelon of college basketball.
Maryland's win also extended a landmark basketball season for colleges in the Washington area. George Mason, a No. 11 seed, ran off four consecutive victories to reach the men's Final Four; Georgetown and George Washington each won men's NCAA tournament games. And Sunday, Maryland -- which had not even reached the round of 16 in this tournament for 14 years -- moved within one win of its first NCAA title.
"We certainly got to this point faster than anyone expected," Maryland Coach Brenda Frese said. "This is a special group of players. We've made a habit of exceeding people's expectations."
Maryland and North Carolina -- two of the highest-scoring teams in the country -- had split two games this season, and each team expected Sunday's grudge match to be a fast-paced showcase of offense and athleticism. Instead, it turned into an ugly game, the key moments defined by fouls and turnovers.
The Terrapins seemed to seize control of the back-and-forth game when freshman guard Kristi Toliver swished a fadeaway three-pointer to give Maryland an 11-point lead with eight minutes left. The Terrapins, though, dropped passes and missed free throws, allowing North Carolina to come within two points twice in the final two minutes.
When the buzzer finally sounded the end to what Frese called the "longest eight minutes" of her coaching career, the coach wiped her brow and breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief.
Frese, 35, expected to guide the Terrapins to this plateau, just not until next season. She took over a lackluster Maryland program in 2002 and publicly laid out optimistic goals that some critics dismissed as ignorant and idealistic. The coach wanted to recruit all-American high school players, establish Maryland as a force in the Atlantic Coast Conference and make a run at the Final Four -- all within five years.
That Maryland arrived at such a lofty pinnacle a year early struck even Frese as a little surreal Sunday. Two hours before the game, she took to the podium at a Maryland pep rally in a hotel ballroom and silently scanned the crowd. The school band, cheerleaders, and a few hundred fans -- many of them face-painted -- gazed back at her. "All of this amazes me," Frese said finally, gesturing at the crowd. "It really is unbelievable."
With a starting lineup comprising two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior, these Terrapins have revived Maryland women's basketball. A team that made the NCAA tournament only twice in the decade preceding Frese's arrival has now been invited three consecutive seasons. Maryland's home attendance has nearly doubled in the last three years.
Frese achieved such rapid success by recruiting five all-Americans and prying two of the Terrapins' best players -- Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper -- from traditional power Connecticut.
"Everybody is wondering why we went here instead of one of the powerhouses, and it's really pretty simple," Toliver said. "Every player wanted to come here and do something special, turn things around. We might be young, but who cares?"
The Terrapins' youngest players have made a habit of defying their inexperience in this NCAA tournament, a trend that continued Sunday. Langhorne, a sophomore forward, said she felt "pretty nervous" before taking the floor against North Carolina; then she carved up the Tar Heels' interior defense, making 10 of 12 shots and scoring 23 points. Harper, a sophomore who ruptured her Achilles' tendon last season, scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the biggest game of her career.
"It's at the point now where our confidence is super high," Harper said. "We just know good things are going to happen. Nothing really gets to us."
Seven Maryland players came down with a stomach virus before playing Utah in the round of eight last Monday. Toliver spent the day of the game lying in her hotel bed and throwing up into a bucket. Her mother, who handfed Toliver banana slices because she was too weak to hold them herself, assumed Toliver would stay in the hotel and watch the game on television. Instead, she ignored her nausea, started at guard and scored a career-high 28 points in a 75-65 overtime win.
Maryland felt it deserved a No. 1 seed coming into this tournament, and the team has made something of a motto out of its adversity.
"Nobody on the outside thinks too much of us," Toliver said. "But we can be the underdog. That's fine. We'll just keep surprising people."
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By upsetting top-ranked North Carolina, second-seeded Maryland realizes a historically rapid assent from mediocrity into the elite echelon of college basketball.
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How We've Improved Intelligence
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Nearly one year ago, President Bush's commission on weapons of mass destruction released its report identifying shortcomings in the intelligence community. Many of the commission's judgments dealt with analysis, the discipline I lead at the CIA. The primary criticism was that our analysts were "too wedded to their assumptions" and that our tradecraft -- the way we analyze a subject and communicate our findings -- needed strengthening.
We did not try to hide from the criticism or make excuses. Our assessment of Saddam Hussein's WMD capabilities was flawed. The fact that foreign intelligence services made similar errors in no way absolved us of ours.
We in the Directorate of Intelligence (DI) have been intent on improving our work by addressing the commission's recommendations -- and those of several other self-initiated and external reviews -- head-on. We have taken many steps in the past year to assure the president, Congress and the American people that they can be confident in the integrity of our assessments.
CIA Director Porter Goss has encouraged innovation and creativity in how the CIA approaches its mission. In the DI, we have been diligent in integrating fresh thinking and new perspectives into our analysis. Our in-house training center, the Sherman Kent School, features lessons learned from the Iraq WMD case; they are part of tradecraft courses taken by our analysts, including every recruit entering the DI. Our newest analysts -- and all first-line supervisors -- also have completed classes on alternative analysis and other analytic techniques.
We have established analytic tradecraft units across the directorate, including the office drafting our WMD assessments, that promote the use of alternative and competitive analysis techniques. DI analysts routinely engage academics and outside experts -- last year we did so about 100 times a month at conferences or informal meetings -- to test hypotheses and minimize the potential for being ensnared by "groupthink." And we have a staff that routinely evaluates the quality of our assessments.
We have enhanced the precision and transparency of our written products, making a point of stating clearly and upfront what we know -- and what we don't. Our analysts now offer policymakers greater context on sourcing, including an intelligence asset's access and biases, thanks to increased information-sharing between the DI and the National Clandestine Service. A computerized system for identifying recalled or modified raw intelligence reports alerts analysts to sources whose information is determined to be faulty.
When Porter Goss selected me as director of intelligence, he expressed his concern that for too long we had concentrated on satisfying the daily demand for current intelligence assessments to the detriment of preparing for the strategic threats and opportunities of tomorrow. What are the implications of rapid advances in technology for U.S. national security? What are the challenges and opportunities posed by Islamic political activism in the Middle East and South Asia? Is there another A.Q. Khan proliferation network out there?
The DI's strategic research program for fiscal 2006 focuses on identifying and assessing long-term trends and emerging foreign threats that go beyond today's headlines. DI analysts also participate heavily in long-term analytic projects led by our colleagues in the intelligence community, especially the National Intelligence Council. The benefit is clear: Our policymakers will have a better idea of what might lie over the horizon.
Even as we strengthen our strategic analytical capabilities, we continue to be the principal source for current intelligence analysis that the director of national intelligence provides to our most senior policymakers. Not only are we helping to staff important DNI components, but DI analysts are also in demand throughout the intelligence community.
The DI is building bench strength with highly qualified recruits to meet the demands of strategic global coverage. We brought in more new analysts in fiscal 2005 than in any year in our history, breaking our previous record by more than 50 percent. More important than the numbers, however, are the education and life experiences our employees bring to the job. Half of our applicants in process claim fluent-to-native capacity in a foreign language, and many have spent significant time in their region of specialty.
Above all, we seek to foster in each analyst a sense of individual initiative, responsibility and ownership, as well as the recognition that providing analysis vital to our national security requires challenging orthodoxy and constantly testing our assumptions. Mastering the fundamentals of tradecraft and building expertise are critical, but we also must aspire to a level of creativity and insight that allows us to look beyond the obvious and flag the unexpected. Only then can we truly fulfill our obligation to help protect the American people.
The writer is director of intelligence at the Central Intelligence Agency.
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Democrats' Narrow Vision
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You can look at the Democrats' national security plan, released last week, as simply a political shield, akin to the upgraded body armor they promise for U.S. troops.
The party remains traumatized by the failure of biography to protect Vietnam veterans Max Cleland and John Kerry from charges of being soft on security.
So "Real Security" -- with its red, white and blue cover, its poll-tested phrases (policies that are "both tough and smart") printed in English and Spanish -- is an amulet for 2006 candidates: You see? We have a plan. We Democrats will buy more weaponry than the Bush administration, sign up more troops, give more to veterans, inspect more shipping containers.
But you can also look at the security plan as the Democrats say it is intended: as a serious strategy intended to show that the opposition party is ready to govern. Under that lens, it is a more interesting document.
The first thing you might notice is that the Democrats implicitly reject almost everything the Bush administration says about how Sept. 11 changed the world, or our perception of it.
President Bush believes that the United States "is in the early years of a long struggle," according to his own national security strategy released last month, against "a new totalitarian ideology." To combat radical Islamist terrorism, he says, the United States must first and foremost offer better values, promoting democracy and opposing tyranny. It must be ready to take the fight to the enemy, including with preemptive action, because the nation can never be made safe only by guarding the homeland. And it must seek to ease the poverty that breeds hopelessness through "dramatically expanded" development aid and an emphasis on free markets and trade.
An opposition party could accept the goals but decry the administration's failure to reach them: the broken alliances, the screw-ups in Iraq, the lack of readiness illustrated by the pitiful response to Hurricane Katrina, the gulf between the rhetoric of human dignity and the record of torture and infringed liberty.
The Democrats do indeed attack the failures and promise an end to incompetence. But they also reveal a different world view, one that is far more cramped and inward-looking. While reassuring voters that they will keep "foreign interests" out of "our national security infrastructure" -- including "mass transit" -- the Democrats do not find space to mention democracy even once.
They promise to "destroy terrorist networks like al Qaeda," but there is no discussion of a broader threat, of a "global war" or a long Cold War-like struggle. They devote more space to homeland security than to anything else. There is no mention of preemptive action.
The document does promise, almost as an aside and without elaboration, to "lead international efforts to uphold and defend human rights" and to combat "the economic, social, and political conditions that allow extremism to thrive." But where Bush concluded from Sept. 11 that the acceptance of stable dictatorships in countries such as Egypt was ultimately self-defeating, Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democrats' leader in the Senate, told me that while "we of course acknowledge that democracy is our goal . . . we first have to have stability."
Certainly a respectable case can be made that there is no "global war" -- that the administration, whether from shock at the 2001 attacks or out of political cynicism, exaggerated the threat and distorted American priorities. There is an equally respectable argument that Bush's promise to end tyranny is dangerously romantic.
But then what is the vision? What does bring security? Bill Clinton and Al Gore, by the time they left office, had formed a view. The United States was the "indispensable nation," as Clinton said, that should lead international coalitions to combat transnational threats: not only failed states and terror but also genocide and ethnic cleansing, AIDS, human trafficking, climate change, and more.
The Democrats, led by Reid and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), seem to have reverted to the it's-the-economy-stupid Clinton of 1992. A section of their plan focuses on alternative energy and conservation, for example, but the goal is only "to free America from dependence on foreign oil"; climate change isn't mentioned. Pandemics such as avian flu are to be combated by spending more on public health at home; the rest of the world doesn't figure in.
Throughout the plan, in fact, there is no discussion of values, of liberty or generosity, of free markets or foreign aid -- of any purpose for American leadership larger than self-protection. The pollsters may be satisfied, but John F. Kennedy would not recognize his party.
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You can look at the Democrats' national security plan, released last week, as simply a political shield, akin to the upgraded body armor they promise for U.S. troops.
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Thai Leader Says He Has New Mandate
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BANGKOK, April 3 -- Embattled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra went on national television Monday evening to defend being reelected over the weekend in a vote boycotted by Thailand's main opposition parties, contending he had earned a new mandate despite an unprecedented number of protest ballots.
Appearing on a talk show with a thick stack of election returns, the weary-looking prime minister reported that his party, Thais Love Thais, had won 16 million votes, or almost 60 percent of those cast Sunday, but he left open the possibility he might step aside if a commission of elder statesmen recommended it. The official vote tally is not yet in.
Thaksin's remarks were unlikely to defuse calls for his resignation, especially in the capital, where protests have repeatedly drawn tens of thousands of people into the streets demanding his ouster for alleged misconduct. Voters who wanted to register dissatisfaction with the snap election had the option of marking a box on their ballots to signify an abstention. Partial results showed that more Bangkok voters marked an abstention than endorsed Thaksin.
"I want reconciliation for the country. I will do anything," the prime minister said during the 90-minute program. "I have retreated so many steps that my back is against the wall."
To break the political stalemate, Thaksin proposed appointing a commission to assess the crisis. He said the panel could include former prime ministers, Supreme Court justices and parliamentary leaders. "If that committee tells me to quit, then I'll quit," he said.
His offer was quickly rebuffed by opponents. Protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul and Ong-Ard Klampaiboon, spokesman for the opposition Democrat Party, rejected the proposal and attacked Thaksin's credibility.
Officials close to the prime minister admitted they had been surprised by the extent of the protest vote. But they repeatedly stressed that their party fared nearly as well as it did last year, when Thaksin won a landslide victory.
In both votes, much of his support came from rural areas, where his populist spending programs have proven popular with poor villagers.
Despite his on-air defiance, some senior party officials said Thaksin is preparing to announce he will temporarily step aside for the sake of national unity and turn over power to a loyal deputy. If so, an interim prime minister would oversee constitutional reforms while Thaksin busied himself with philanthropic work but continued to control the party and government from the sidelines.
"He would still have the biggest political machine in town and still have more money than anyone else, and the system runs on money," said Paul Quaglia, director of PSA Asia, a risk consulting firm in Bangkok.
Thaksin told the TV interviewer he has four possible successors in mind in case he steps aside. He mentioned Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, who also serves as commerce minister, and the speaker of parliament, Bokhin Polakura. Thaksin did not disclose the other two.
Demonstrations against the prime minister have escalated since January, when his family agreed to sell its controlling interest in a telecommunications empire to a Singapore state company for $1.9 billion. Critics accused Thaksin of improperly enriching himself in the deal and giving away national assets. He denies the allegations.
Besides pressing for his ouster, many of his foes have also demanded he return any ill-gotten profits and be prosecuted for corruption. But if he leaves office, the anti-Thaksin movement would be hard-pressed to maintain its momentum. Some Bangkok residents are expressing frustration because protests last week in the city's commercial area blocked traffic and forced several shopping malls to close.
The People's Alliance for Democracy has called another massive demonstration in the capital for Friday. The alliance also went to court Monday to ask that the election results be annulled because of alleged irregularities in how voting booths were arranged.
Meanwhile, the national election commission reported it would have to hold new polls in 38 districts where uncontested candidates from Thaksin's party had failed to gain 20 percent of the eligible votes, as required by Thai law. Parliament cannot convene and a new government be formed until all 500 seats are filled.
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World news headlines from the Washington Post, including international news and opinion from Africa, North/South America, Asia, Europe and Middle East. Features include world weather, news in Spanish, interactive maps, daily Yomiuri and Iraq coverage.
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88 Goes Long
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Novice politicians need to pass a few basic tests. First is the ability to work a room, dominate it, if possible -- or, at the very least, convey a sense that you relish being there, meeting everyone and hearing the stories about how this guy met you at a banquet in Pittsburgh 20 years ago and you were nice enough to sign an autograph that he still has, by the way, in a scrapbook somewhere . . .
Lynn Swann aces this test with an ease and grace that befit his status both as a Hall of Fame wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers and as a dancer who began studying ballet when he was 8.
Swann, 54, doesn't so much work a room as prance through it: His double-pump handshakes are brisk and authoritative, his grin and eye contact unrelenting. He stutter-steps in and out of conversations in 15 seconds or less, but never seems in a rush. Swann has mastered the art of Being a Famous Guy -- performing on the Famous Guy circuit of sporting events, speaking appearances and autograph scrums.
"Smile," says the man snapping a photo of Swann, who is, of course, already smiling. The Republican candidate for governor of Pennsylvania is working his way through a wine-and-hors d'oeuvres reception hosted by a chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), a trade group whose membership veers Republican. As for football loyalties, this south-central region of Pennsylvania is a battleground between Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles allegiances.
But, in this office park -- on this evening, in the presence of No. 88 -- the room is trending heavily Black and Gold. "I'm a lifelong Steeler guy," proclaims one, introducing himself to Swann, who spins into his celebrity meet-and-greet routine: signing the man's football, then a cocktail napkin, then posing for a cellphone photo.
He completes the set by signing another man's "Swann for Governor" lapel sticker, the likes of which are now selling for a buck on eBay.
Another essential test for a first-time candidate is whether he has a compelling personal story, ideally of the Horatio Alger, up-from-nothing variety. Swann nails this one, too, although whether his superstar narrative qualifies him to lead a state of 12.5 million people is another matter.
The youngest of three boys, Swann was born in a small Tennessee town, the son of a dentist's assistant (mother) and a janitor (father). He attended the University of Southern California on a football scholarship, was an All-American, played eight years in the NFL with four Super Bowl victories, and is recalled as perhaps the most acrobatic receiver in league history. Announcer Curt Gowdy dubbed him "the Baryshnikov of football."
Swann retired from the NFL in 1982, worked hundreds of ABC college football broadcasts as a sideline reporter, hosted "Battle of the Network Stars" and "To Tell the Truth," played himself in "The Waterboy" with Adam Sandler and "The Last Boy Scout" with Bruce Willis, raised money for the Pittsburgh Ballet and chaired President Bush's Council on Physical Fitness. Now, Swann, who has never run for office before, wants to be the first black governor of Pennsylvania.
"My parents never thought their youngest son would be standing here accepting the nomination for governor," Swann said tearfully on the night in February when he was ensured the state GOP's nomination for governor (Swann has no opposition in a May primary). "We truly do live in the greatest nation of the world."
Still, as Swann traverses the nation's sixth most populous state he is trailed by recurring doubts about whether he's fit to tackle the job. Questions, in other words, about what Swann has ever run before. Besides post patterns.
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MANHEIM, Pa. Novice politicians need to pass a few basic tests. First is the ability to work a room, dominate it, if possible -- or, at the very least, convey a sense that you relish being there, meeting everyone and hearing the stories about how this guy met you at a banquet in Pittsburgh 20.........
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Heaven's Gate
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Every striver mother and father knows the rules when it comes time to shop for a college. These are so deeply embedded in the subconscious of affluent, highly educated parents that their wisdom is rarely questioned.
If your kid is bright enough, you shoot for the Ivies, Stanford or MIT. If those are out of reach, you aim your child at other prestigious private institutions -- Duke, the University of Chicago, Georgetown or some other brand-name, liberal arts college that doesn't let just anybody in the door. If all else fails, you might consider a top-ranked state university, but only as a last resort.
Money should be no object, not when it comes to something as important as your child's education. Paying those tuition bills may sabotage your ability to save for retirement or necessitate a second mortgage on your house. But, in the end, your goal should be to send your kid to the most exclusive, impressive option available. The payoff is obvious: In a society that likes to think of itself as a meritocracy, the Ivies and other selective private schools offer a shortcut to the top. They promise an instant pedigree, future wealth and an opportunity to mix with the country's next generation of movers and shakers.
But what if all those calculations and assumptions are wrong? What if all those Ivy graduates whose parents shelled out $150,000 or even $200,000 for their undergraduate degrees could have done just as well if they'd gone somewhere else? Somewhere much cheaper?
Research implies that is actually the case. According to these recent studies, when you do a cold, hard analysis -- removing family dreams and visions of class rings -- the Ivies and other elite private schools simply aren't worth the money. The answer isn't conclusive, and there are skeptics -- at the Ivies and elsewhere. But at the least, the research should give parents pause and prompt them to conduct a cost-benefit analysis before steering their child to an elite private college.
THE DEBATE ABOUT THE VALUE of an exclusive education is not new. For years, many people, particularly those at the high-end public universities (the public Ivies), have argued that the value of four years at an elite private school is overstated. The conventional wisdom on those schools is more the result of long-held impressions than actual results, they say.
In the late 1990s, two academics decided to measure whether those elite private schools really delivered on what they promised. Alan Krueger, an economist at Princeton, and Stacy Dale, a researcher with the Andrew Mellon Foundation, compared 1976 freshmen at 34 colleges -- from Yale, Stanford and Wellesley to Penn State and Miami University of Ohio. They separated out a subgroup of those freshmen who had applied to the same pool of elite colleges. They then took that subgroup, now full of elite and public school grads, and compared their wages in 1995.
The findings? The income levels of these graduates were essentially the same, though very poor students seemed to get a slight benefit from an elite private education. For most students, there was no real post-college earning benefit gained from an elite undergraduate degree. The better predictor was where the students had applied.
"Essentially, what we found was the fact that you apply to those kinds of elite places means that you are ambitious, and you'll do well in life wherever you go to school," Dale says.
There is more to college than future earnings, Dale acknowledges, but measuring such things as life or job satisfaction would include factors far beyond college selection. In terms of cold measurement, the only statistic with true unbiased weight is earnings.
Other research has largely concurred with the findings of Krueger and Dale.
In their 2005 update of their book How College Affects Students, two professors who study higher education, Ernest Pascarella of the University of Iowa and Patrick Terenzini of Penn State, raise similar points. The book, a synthesis of three decades of research, finds that "little consistent evidence suggested that college selectivity, prestige or educational resources had any net impact in such areas as learning, cognitive and intellectual development, the majority of psychosocial changes, the development of principled moral reasoning, or shifts in attitudes and values." In other words, you might be a different person when you leave college, but not because of how hard it was to get into the school you chose.
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Every striver mother and father knows the rules when it comes time to shop for a college. These are so deeply embedded in the subconscious of affluent, highly educated parents that their wisdom is rarely questioned. THE DEBATE ABOUT THE VALUE of an exclusive education is not new. For years,... We...
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Post Magazine: Is It Worth It?
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Parents ready to pay big bucks so their kids can attend an elitecollege might want to ask themselves if gaining admission to one of thoseschools will guarantee their child a prosperous future - or just a mountainof debt?
Dante Chinni, who explored that question in Sunday's Washington Post Magazine's Education Review , was online Monday, April 3, at 1 p.m. ET to field questions and comments.
Dante Chinni is a Washington writer.
Dante Chinni: Well, there is a LONG list of questions here already. Clearly people are interested in this topic.
For the record, because I'm sure its a question behind some questions. I went to Michigan State and double majored in Journalism and Modern European History.
And I have to say reporting this story changed my mind on this topic. I orginally thought the Ivies would be where my VERY young kids would be headed. I'm much more open in my thinking now ... as long as they don't want to go to Michigan. (That's a joke, by the way).
New York, NY: The criteria you cite -- the earnings of graduates --
seems to me to be the worst possible way to measure how
"good" an Ivy League college is. Students accepted to the
Ivies tend to have a passion for a liberal arts subject -- be
it poetry, Chinese history, Renaissance art, or literary
theory. Graduates follow these passions into professions
that don't necessarily pay well. Many of my classmates
from Columbia are museum curators, professors, poets,
journalists, rabbis, film critics, etc. They're at the top of
their chosen fields, yet few earn as much as a new
associate at a top law firm. I'm sure Bill Clinton brought
down the salary average of Yale Law School when he was
governor of Arkansas at $35,000 a year. How can salaries
be the criterion for excellence at Ivies, which (except for
Cornell) don't even have vocational majors?
Dante Chinni: An interesting point and true to some extent. But don't forget that people who go to the big publics often choose a career in civil service as well. Governors and state house folks often come from the state schools as well as Congress members. Take a look at where a lot of Senators are from and you'll be surprised.
Also, those in the study did apply to the Ivies, so my guess is they had a bit of that mindset as well.
As for earnings as a measure, I agree it is less than perfect, but how can one measure happiness fulfillment later in life. Money is probably the most objective meaure available.
Arlington, Va.: Great article. i'm assuming it was focused on just undergrad education and not grad. I actually went to a large public university for my undergrad and loved it. (I had no debt upon graduation). I got my masters at a private university, and had to take out loans. Especially in this area, I have friends paying back both undergrad and grad schools loans.. I don't know how they do it. Which makes me wonder, how do salaried compare with debt payback?
Dante Chinni: Actually a few of the 1990 grads I spoke with raised this exact point. When I asked the question, the woman replied "You mean for undergrad?" almost dismissively. It was all about grad school in her mind and she got into the one she wanted.
Washington, DC.: Hello Dante. Fabulous article -- wish my college in Massachussets was mentioned, too. I would like to know which Dante has influenced your career the most: Dante Alighieri, Daunte Culpepper or Dante Hicks from the movie Clerks? Thank you. Bill H.
Dante Chinni: Dante Pasterini... he quarterbacked the Oilers in the 1970s and 80s, but never made it to the big game.
Washington, DC: I noticed that you only compared big name public schools? Do you think the rationale applies to "average" state universities. For ex. does the study suggest that graduates from Salisbury University or Bowie University earn just as much as grautes from the Ivies.
U of MD and UVA are 1st tier public schools. What about the other tiers, are the earnings the same?
Dante Chinni: The study I primarily looked at for the story didn't deal with the question. It was focused on kids who applied -- seriously -- to the Ivies and other select privates but wound up somewhere else.
I think the nswer is (sorry about non answer) it depends. It depends on the kid, the field of study and his or her unqiue experience at college.
Bowie, Md: Here's what I've discovered. Attending a prestigious school will surround you with smart people to learn and network from, and will definitely open doors for you once you graduate from college because of the prestigious name and alumni contacts. Now, what you do with it is based on your own accord.
Dante Chinni: This is true. However, if you are a bright student you might be surprised at the interest a big public can have in you and the pull of the alumni network.
What is amazing to me is the parents who "push" their kids to these elite universities for the sole purpose of saying to others "my son/daughter goes to Haaarvard". Kind of like the folks buying the latest expensive vehicle so everybody knows they are part of the "in" rich crowd.
Dante Chinni: I know a lot of people out there probably feel this way and sometimes there is probably some truth to it. But I think a lot of parents are simply doing what they think is bet for their kids.
I also think everyone has to take programs into account. If you know you want a career in music, look for a good music program. If you want engineering, find the right program for that. The best programs for individuals don't always to "top" schools.
Chicago, Ill: Not really a question, but an opinion.
I grew up in the DC area and thirty years ago, I turned down a conservative prestigious university for a smaller liberal arts college, and have never regreted it. If anything, I feel I have had a more interesting life and career, primarily due to the less traditional approach of the schooling I received.
I've always felt that parents who insist on the "right schools" are basically people who are unhappy with their own lives. I wonder if their children would pick "top name" schools if there were no outside influences.
Thank God my parents let me make my own decision...
Dante Chinni: The admissions counselor I spoke with made this exact point. Kids are really feeling the pressure from their parents. One student told the counselor I spoke with something to the effect of "if you can just convince my parents I don;t need to go to Yale, I'll sleep a lot easier."
New York: Are there regional differences in the effect of going to an Ivy? I grew up in the South. No one in my high school even considered going to an Ivy League school. I don't even think I knew what the Ivy League was then. It seems like these studies must focus on the Northeast and maybe California?
Dante Chinni: Honestly, I think the Ivy and elite private pull is much stronger in the Northeast because those states have not invested heavily in their public systems. Harvard was there long before UMass. Yale long before UConn.
In the midwest, the area I am familiar with, the publics were there before most of the privates so they have the reputation. There are obviously some very good state schools around DC and their reputations as well.
Washington, DC: One of the things you don't address is starting at one school, particularly a community college, and then transferring into some of these more prestigious institutions. Transfer qualifications are not as rigorous, not even at the Ivies. I had the smarts but not the grades and definitely not the finances for anything but NVCC (Northern VA Comm. College) when I graduated from high school in '88. My parents who didn't own a home and made a total of about $40K/year in this area for a family of four made too much money to qualify for financial aid. I got a full time job, took classes part-time at NVCC, and finally just before I turned 24 (when you are legally independant from your parents) I transferred to William and Mary. That said, I -still- had to add an extra paragraph because at $12K/year as a nanny in '93, I made "too much" to qualify for full financial aid (meaning loans and grants). I had to explain that I was working full-time but once I transferred I would not be. I don't know how my kids will go to college, public or private, unless that get serious scholarships. My husband and I can't afford to buy a home in this area let alone save for retirement and our kids' education. It is horrible for those of us who make too much to qualify for aid but not enough to actual pay. As someone who graduated with $30K in debt and whose husband had $25K in debt, it is a severe handicap and that was at a -public- college. It is one of the reasons we don't own a home.
Dante Chinni: We really wanted to do this in the story -- find a honor society kid who went to say NoVa and transferred -- but didn't find one.
First it was hard enough tracking down the ones we found. Second, I think the world was different in 1990. The CC route wasn't as well established and other college costs hadn't yet really skyrocketed.
Washington D.C.: Interesting article and I agree with many of your conclusions. However, I think you may have come to more substantial ones if you had segmented the schools a little further. I graduated from Georgetown and received an offer at a consulting firm where I do very well financially.
Would I have gotten this job if I had gone to another school? Maybe. But, my employer along with many others recruit on campus at GU. Many of the top schools have this benefit. Furthermore, I contribute to many of our hiring decisions here. An education from a selective school makes a difference in even getting your resume read.
All that said, I think state schools are underappreciated by many. They offer great educations and at a lower cost. Some are viewed in the same light as a school like Georgetown by employers and offer many of the same networking benefits. Unfortunately, not everyone lives in a state with a school like UVA or Michigan.
Where I see a disconnect is in the middle tier private schools. Once you have left the name schools, you lose most of the employer cache yet still retain the high tuition. Has anyone focused their analysis on a similar segmentation?
Dante Chinni: I do think that the undergrad line on the resume matters a lot when it comes to that first job. When you have no experience more employer are willing o bank on Harvard than Ohio State. So yes, let's say you get to start 10 or 15 yards ahead in the race. And who wouldn't like an early lead?
But (cliche alert) life is a marathon and over time that advantage disappears. You are judged on how you do your job and reputation you create for yourself.
The question is, is the head start worth the cost? If you're rich, who cares? But if, like most, you aren't. It's a question worth considering.
Washington, D.C.: I don't know if you're a baseball fan, but baseball can be a great allegory for college. Teams like the New York Yankees spend HUGE money every offseason for the hottest free agents. And true, they're always pretty good. But look who they've been bounced by in the playoffs in the last 5 years: the Arizona Diamondbacks (a recent expansion team), the Florida Marlins (a wildcard team full of no-names), the Boston Red Sox (whom they trounced in the regular season), and the Anaheim Angels (twice). It just goes to show that when all is said and done, any low budget franchise can go toe-to-toe with the big money (Harvard -cough- I mean the Yankees) and be just as good and frequently better.
Dante Chinni: As a Tigers fan I have no comment... But an interesting metaphor.
I suppose we could also say that going to a less prestigious school means building a personal "farm system" when you graduate. The Yankees start out with the advantage of have team full of all stars at the start.
Arlington, Va.: Question, not comment:
I have a question about the costs you mentioned in the article. You said that for many private colleges, less parental contribution is calculated. So the financial need is more. Is there any data whether the student's financial package to meet that need is mostly loans or are there more grants. The problem I had when applying to college was whatever my need was, the difference was made up of loans. On the other hand, the state schools gave me a merit scholarship. I've heard most elite private schools do not.
Dante Chinni: Merit scholarships are more available at the state level. If you assume everyone going to Harvard is a top-of-his-class kid, merit money isn't going to be vailable. Who's a "merit" case at Harvard?
The state schools want the brightet kids, especially those from in-state and will offer them help.
BTW, this weekend I saw Harvard was upping the amount of income at which they would offer a full ride to $60,000. So if they like you up in Cambridge and your parents make less than $60,000 you're probably headed up to Boston.
Albany, NY: Attending and graduating from an elite college is worth its weight in gold. My daughter graduated from Vassar a few years ago. Not only did she experience a very challenging course of studies but also she developed a network of connections that has opened doors to social opportunities and employment. Plus she made friends from all over the world. A degree from an elite school smoothes the way for entry to graduate school. My advice for parents: ignore the nonsense that a lesser school is as good as an elite one. If your kid has brains and ambition, send him/her to the best college you can afford.
Dante Chinni: That is clearly a point of view. However, I think you'll find a lot of kids who go to good publics end up happy and on a fast track as well.
Herndon, Va: I well remember staggering through the admissions process with our two sons (one graduated from William and Mary, the other is a junior at JMU). We aimed at in-state schools, but let the boys check out other ones - Syracuse, MIT, Georgia Tech, and Carnegie-Mellon, to name a few. I saw a change for the worse in the two years between the elder and the younger applying, and have no doubt it's worse yet now. The main thing to remember is, the selection process, from school to school,isn't logical. One son applied to VA Tech, JMU, and another state school we considered "safe," and was admitted by the first two and turned down by the other. Remeber, not going to an "elite" school is not the end of the world.
Dante Chinni: I spoke to the director of admissions at Harvard for this story and she relayed to me how her daughter went to Harvard but her daughter's friend who went to the same elite private high school went to Wisconsin. "It was a revelation," she said. Being at a big institution really opened her eyes and she was much richer for it.
Again, it depends on the kid.
Washington DC - Why Does the Post Hate Good Colleges?: Sorry, but this whole "debate" is nothing but a re-hash of the Jay Mathews look-down: Harvard was for him, and his kids went to top-20 schools as well, but the rest of us should just go to George Mason and hope for employment or grad-school admission based on looks.
Tops schools are top schools in substantial part because they open doors. The "studies" to the contrary, which the Post is so fond of citing, in every case contain an independent variable which is present, by design, to modify the results.
Quit it already. Harvard really is better than Mason, and of two roughly equal students, the one who goes to Harvard will get a much, much better, life-long result than the one Mathews sends to Mason.
Dante Chinni: "Better" is an interesting word. Harvard probably has better faculty and a better class of students (than Mason or most other places for that matter).
But what is it a student needs? What are the programs he or she is interested in?
Also, I think the story pointed this out, it depends on the kid and the school. Some kids will go to Harvard and be just another (superlative) number. Another bright kid in an army of bright kids. A smart kid at the right public might get special attention and treatment.
Silver Spring, Md: I appreciated your efforts to bring some sanity and a fresh perspective to the bizarre world that is the college-choice process. The DC area is really nuts about this stuff, partly because a lot of the adults here went to elite schools during less competitive eras, and now so many kids that want to go to elite schools live here, but the schools build their classes geographically as well as ethnically, financially, etc. The one thing that I would say to any kid who has excelled at a private school or elite suburban high school and is thinking about going to an Ivy is this: Do you think that the most valuable thing you can do with your life right now is spend more time around rich white people? There are other options, although state schools can feel way, way too close to home. Pretty challenging. My kids and I plan to go hitch-hiking instead.
Dante Chinni: A good point, though I think the Ivies are REALLY trying to diversify their pool.
I think it was Gore Vidal who regularly railed against college as a waste of time. He thought it could be done by reading books.
Of course, he never had to apply at Google either.
Dante Chinni: Just for the record, sorry about all the spelling and grammar errors.
They aren't the result of my education, I promise. I am simply swamped with questions from all of you and typing very poorly.
Reston, Va: I read you article with interest, and does it conclude that it doesn't really matter? I disagree with this point because I've noted that it does matter depending the field(s) you enter. For example, a Wall Street Law Firm not only looks at the top ten law schools but also the undergraduate education, preferably the top ten as well. And Wall Street Banks do also have a similar preference. Indeed you have a Princeton undergrad, attending HBS, and working on Wall Street. And if you look at local Venture Captial firms, virtually all have Ivy League degrees.
On the other hand, I've noted that in everything else: average companies, intitutions, goverment sectors, all react indifferently to academic institutions.
Dante Chinni: I think that ultimately, anyone who is smart and works hard will do OK in life -- even without the Ivy sheepskin.
Even the biggest Wall Street firm will hire someone who is go if he he proves he is. This is the nature of the United States in the 21t Century. The bottom line rules.
I think there was a time when "Harvard, son of Harvard" carried more weight. But after a few years on the job do you really think a firm will pass on a guy or gal who can bring money into the firm because he or she doesn't know the secret handshake?
Laurel, Md: My son is going to Penn State Univ. in the fall and the tuition plus room and board is around $30,000. Though he was also accepted to in-state Towson University, the schools' music departments are very different. He, and others in the music field, feel that Penn State will offer him much more training and opportunity in classical music. I'm really just looking for reassurance that working for the next 20 years to pay for college is the right decision!
Dante Chinni: You'll know when he's playing at Carnegie I guess.
Thanks so much for all the questions. We thought there'd be interest, but didn't know we'd he this much. I'd like to stay on longer, but have two kids -- UVA(?) class of 2024 and 2026 -- that demand attention.
Hope I got to your question. Go Nats....
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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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Dante Chinni will field questions and comments about his story debating the value of the exorbitant cost of elite colleges.
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Galapagos Now - washingtonpost.com
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Slicing through the water in our baby blue kayaks, we arrive at Puerto Grande Beach, on the west shore of San Cristobal Island, at sunset. The nine-mile paddle from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the provincial capital of Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, was an elemental experience: just wind, waves and the slowly slanting sun, with the occasional sea lion huffing up for air or curiosity. We set up our tents as the equatorial sun dives straight for the horizon.
Tents in the Galapagos? Yes. Until now, visitors have not been allowed to camp on the islands, whose popularity with ecotourists is soaring even as threats mount to the unique and delicate ecosystem. Camping here is the equivalent of a new wing suddenly appearing on the Smithsonian, or a trail being opened across the Grand Canyon. But knowing how rare and vulnerable the Galapagos are, it can be hard to paddle up to a beach and step ashore without a tiny pang of guilt.
Even when there's a baby sea lion there to greet you.
Signs of human presence await us up the beach in tangles of rope and bits of trash. Our guide tells us that locals haul their boats ashore here to clean and repaint them from time to time, which is why we're allowed to be here after dark at all.
We set up five tents for the eight of us in the warm sand and relax over glasses of boxed red wine as the stars come out.
Then the ground starts to move. Hundreds of hermit crabs appear out of nowhere and start crawling around our campsite. One or two in a terrarium is cute; en masse, they're a little creepy. We all make sure to zip up our tents.
This eight-day trip with the Idaho rafting company ROW International is the first to combine sea kayaking and camping in the national park that covers 97 percent of the archipelago. Smack on the equator 600 miles west of mainland Ecuador, the Galapagos are famous for their unique, fearless wildlife that helped inspire Darwin's theory of evolution. The Enchanted Islands, as early mariners called them for their tendency to disappear into the mist, now draw nearly 100,000 visitors every year.
Until now, the only way to visit was on a licensed boat-based tour, combining a rigorous regimen of shore visits by day with shipboard berths at night. A typical boat tour lasts five to eight days and visits eight to 10 islands. Boats usually stop at one of 116 visitor sites -- 54 on land, 62 in the water for divers and snorkelers -- in the morning and at another in the afternoon. Cruisers are hustled on- and offshore in small groups to regulate crowds and limit the environmental impact.
Our itinerary is different. While we will visit only five islands (Baltra, North Seymour, Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristobal), we will paddle kayaks and camp on Baltra and San Cristobal for three of the seven nights, all at more or less our own pace. (Many boat-based tours offer kayaking options, but only for an hour or two at a time.) We'll fly in small planes and take high-speed motorboats to save time, instead of chugging overnight in a yacht from island to island, as the usual tours do.
The campsites won't be in the most pristine or animal-rich spots -- that perhaps would be asking too much -- but they will let us experience the islands in an entirely new and intimate way, far from the burgeoning crowds. It's an exploratory trip, meaning the itinerary could change if conditions warrant. This seems fitting, the more we learn that the islands themselves are still very much a work in progress.
Our trip begins with a four-hour flight from Quito on Ecuador's mainland to Baltra, a rocky island in the middle of the chain. As the rest of the planeload of tourists is sorted out among a flotilla of boats, we gather our gear on the dock and introduce ourselves.
At the helm is Peter Grubb, the cheery, bearded founder of ROW International. His wife, two Ecuadoran guides, a 24-year-old park guide named Ramiro Tomala, a photographer and another journalist round out the group.
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The Galapagos are famous for their unique, fearless wildlife that helped inspire Darwin's theory of evolution. Until recently, the only way to visit was on a licensed boat-based tour, but the limits have been enlarged.
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Talk About Travel
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The Post's Travel Section Flight Crew will take your comments, questions, suspicions, warnings, gripes, sad tales and happy endings springing from the world of... the world. Of course, the Flight Crew will be happy to answer your travel questions -- but the best thing about this forum, we insist, is that it lets travelers exchange information with other travelers who've been there, done that or otherwise have insights, ideas and information to share. Different members of the Crew will rotate through the captain's chair every week, but the one constant is you, our valued passengers.
Joining the Flight Crew today is Johannah E. Barry , president of theGalapagos Conservancy, in Falls Church, Va. Barry, who travels twice a year to the Galapagos, will field questions and comments.
We know you have a choice in online travel forums, and speaking for theentire Flight Crew, we want to thank you for flying with us.
You may also browse an archive of previous live travel discussions.
KC Summers: Hey everyone, welcome to today's chat. We've got a real skeleton crew flying this crate today, with many of the staff off (of all things) traveling, so we'll be counting on you guys more than ever to pitch in. On board with me are Travel staffers Anne McDonough, Andrea Sachs and Cindy Loose -- plus our special guest, Johanna E. Barry, president of the nonprofit Galapagos Conservancy, based in Falls Church. Johanna goes to the Galapagos twice a year, so if you've always wanted to make this dream trip of a lifetime, here's your chance to ask an expert.
Meanwhile, I'm editing a story for next week on a 21-year-old college kid's spring break in Las Vegas, and he had quite a time. QUITE a time. I was one of those wacky college kids who actually worked during spring break, so I don't have my own experience to draw on here. So I'm wondering -- what's the best spring break you ever had, and why? Keep your stories short and clean, folks, and you could win our prize: a cotton Cezanne tote bag and cute blank notebook to put in it. The bag is actually pretty flimsy, but it has a neat Cezanne logo, and the notebook is a nice little hardback. We'll throw in a TripStalker.com T-shirt to fill it out.
Washington, DC: Why are flights to Atlanta so expensive? we had to pay $200 per ticket while flying to Florida is $150.
Cindy Loose: It costs more to fly to Atlanta than to Florida because there is less competition to Atlanta. If it makes you feel better, $200 is pretty good if you mean roundtrip. At least $50 of that is probably taxes and fees, leaving $150 for the airline, or $75 each way. A bus probably costs that much.
New Jersey to Galapagos: I was so thrilled to see your Galapagos articles online today -- I'll be heading there the first week of June on a 16-person boat with the Canadian company GAP Adventures, which I chose because they seemed in tune with being careful with the environment, something really important to me. I'll be visiting the same 5 islands that were in the article. What can I do, as just one person, to make sure I'm a good guest and treat the islands well during my trip? And where can I see the wacky blue-footed boobies?
Johannah E. Barry: I can speak very positively about GAP adventures. They are an excellent company that make a strong effort to give back to the community. As one person, you can do a lot. Please follow your guides instructions, stay on the paths, ask hard questions, visit the Research Station, and let me hear from you when you get back! Oh, and you'll see boobies everywhere. johannah
Dupont, Washington, D.C.: Ms. Barry, can you talk at all about the changes, positive and negative, you've seen in ecotourism during your visits to the Galapagos?
Johannah E. Barry: Happy to. What I have immediately noticed is that not all ecotourism is the same. There are companies that fly an "ecotourism" flag, but give little back to the community and make little effort to practice what they preach on board. Savvy travelers need to dig deep and talk with organizations which working in the destination areas you will be visiting to see what money, activity, and resources are really hitting the ground. Positively, travelers to the Galapagos are well informed and engaged. Negatively, tourism is not as well policed as it needs to be and things are fraying a bit at the edges. But staying vigilent as a traveler is the best we can all do. johannah
Dallas, Tex (formerly Columbia, MD!): Thanks for the great chats - they are always informative and entertaining! I'm submitting this question in advance since I will be in a meeting this afternoon...
I am traveling to Paris next month (yay!) with my husband, sister and brother-in-law. It will be our second time in Europe, their first. I'm concerned that the recent rioting might make for a less than pleasant trip if it continues. Any idea what effect the current events are having on tourism in Paris? I'm not really concerned for our safety at this point (should I be?) as much as our ability to get around and enjoy the city. I am glad that we sprung for the cancellation waiver just in case!
KC Summers: Hey Dallas. Glad you've continued your Post habit down there! Did you see our item on Paris in yesterday's print edition? The French embassy here says that while further protests are possible, tourists have not been affected (well, I'd say the ones trying to go the Eiffel Tower the day it was closed were). We also checked with hoteliers and tour guides in Paris who said the demonstrations had a minimal effect on tourists. Note, though, that the U.S. State Dept. has advised folks to stay away from large crowds, as the French police have used tear gas.
Our own Gary Lee is in Paris right now, so check back next week when he's back, for a firsthand account.
Virginia: From a dumb American: is Galapagos in the Ascension Islands or the Falklands Islands?
Johannah E. Barry: Neither, Galapagos lies 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador and is its own archipelago.
Monterey, Va.: I'll be travelling by rail in England in May and, though I have reservations in London, I'm wondering if I would be safe in waiting until I get into towns in the countryside before getting a room at hotels and B&B's. I'm thinking particularly of the areas around York and the Lake District.
Cindy Loose: If I were driving through the English countryside I would feel okay winging accommodations in May. But if you're taking the train and not planning on renting a car once you get there, I think that might be a little risky. With a car you can just pop in here and there until you find something you like at a price that appeals, but you don't want to be doing that in a cab. If your nightly destinations are really uncertain, so that booking a room means you'll lose spontaniety that you crave, then at least have some places close to the station in mind, and email them to ask the probability of their having last minute rooms.
I have a question about using your credit cards overseas - but not the normal question.
I was in England last week visiting friends. They don't live in a tourist town and in a couple of stores we went into there were signs saying as of Feb. 14, 2006 all credit cards must have a security chip to be used. According to my friends not only do the cards have chips but they also require pin numbers to be used.
I obviously don't have a chip in my card and was able to use my card every time I wanted to but is this something you've covered before and I've missed it? Also I wonder if down the road they'll start enforcing the chip requirement and then how will we use our cards?
Cindy Loose: You didn't miss anything I know of---this is news to me. But I'm going to check into it for possible mention in CoGo. I guess if everyone requires a chip and pin, we'll all have to get chips and pins, but let me check into this further. Thanks for the heads up.
Galapagos: When is the best time of the year to visist the Galapagos?
Johannah E. Barry: Any time is great. The warmer season is December through March, its a bit cooler (meaning temps in the mid-70s as opposed to the 90s) in June-October. Summer is busy with a lot of schoolkids taking trips, and December and January are high season with people enjoying Christmas and New Year's in Galapagos. I like going anytime! Johannah
West Warwick, R.I.: Our family is planning a vacation in Myrtle Beach in July. I have researched the cost of airfare from Providence to Myrtle Beach, Providence to Wilmington, NC and Providence to Raleigh-Durham.Flying directly to Myrtle cost about 450. We can fly into Raleigh -Durham the cheapest (250); however it is still a 3.5 hour drive. Wilmington will cost us 336 per person and mapquest tells me it is 1.5 hours from Myrtle Beach. I'm not crazy about driving 3.5 hours from Raleigh, so Wilmington seems to be a good compromise. Do you agree and do you have any alternatives I haven't though of? We will have 5 people in our party and we were planning on renting a minivan.
Anne McDonough: Hey Warwick: the good news is that your starting point is a Southwest city, as is Raleigh-Durham, and Southwest does sometimes have some great fares. I feel your pain on the 3.5-hour drive, but if you're going for a week or more, I think the savings of almost $500 is well worth the extra time behind the wheel, even with gas prices being what they are--$250 for the flight seems rather good to me. If it's just a weekend you're going for, though, it's not worth the time, and Wilmington would make sense. Coming up is a link for our last piece on Myrtle Beach, just in case there are any golfers in your group. Anyone with first-hand Myrtle Beach airport knowledge want to weigh in?
washingtonpost.com: Myrtle Beach: Greens for Less Green , (March 12, 2006)
Anne McDonough: For the Myrtle Beach-bound. Thanks, Kim!
Washington, D.C.: Why is flying to BOSTON so expensive? Where are the commuter flights? I'm looking for the first weekend in May, if that makes a difference, travelling on Thursday night, returning Monday night. I'm talking $200 +.
Cindy Loose: You might find something cheaper for actual weekend travel, but leaving on a Thursday and returning on a Monday nigt puts you in competition with business travelers, some I'm afraid you'd have to get really luck to beat that price. In fact, I'd probably cost even more to go by train.
Credit cards in England: I encountered the same thing when I was in England and Wales last Christmas. The stores that required the chip were able to manually enter my card - so I'm not sure that we'll all be forced to get new cards (yet!).
Arlington, Va: I've heard that some rental car agencies don't charge a drop fee if you pick up a car in one location, e.g., LA, and drop it off at another, e.g., SF. Do you have any information on this? Thanks.
Cindy Loose: I've never heard of a rental car agency that had a blanket policy of not charging a drop off fee. I have heard of agencies that waive the fee if they happen to have too many cars where you're starting from, and not enough cars where you're going to.
Maryland: I am going to Las Vegas for the first time for a conference in a couple weeks. I'll gamble, but not much. What should I make sure I see/do? It seems like there's a million things to do ... I want to make sure I get to the good ones. Thanks!
KC Summers: I'm here to tell you there is hope for the non-gambler in Vegas. There are great museums, believe it or not (the Bellagio's is world-class, and the Guggenheim, in the Venetian hotel, is, well, the Guggenheim -- you won't believe you're in vegas). The Liberace and Elvis museums are fun and definitely worth a visit. Also, there's tons of outdoor stuff, like the Hoover Dam and hiking in Valley of Fire State Park. And try to see as many shows as you can -- not just your favorite comedians or singers, but spectacles like O and Blue Man Group. Oh, almost forgot the machine gun range.
Alexandria, Va: A few weeks ago, I sent in a question regarding my mom and I traveling to Paris. Gary Lee responded and gave a recommendation to La Mere Agitee restaurant near Raspain metro. I just wanted to tell Mr. Lee that that restaurant was the best meal we had in Paris. My zuccini soup, salad and chicken were so calorific yet good. It felt like being invited to a neighbors home for dinner. Also, we were the only foreignors in the place so it was very non-touristy. We told her that the WP recommended her! I only hope that her restaurant remains small and little-known.
All in all we loved Paris and can't wait to return. In the meantime, do any of you know where I can find croissants like they make in France? I'm going through serious withdrawl. Thanks.
KC Summers: That's great, Alex, we'll be sure to tell Gary when he gets back. As for your croissant question -- anyone out there know from good croissants?
Being sent to Siberia: Good Monday Travel Crew! My company is sending me to Siberia (yes, I'm milking that phrase for all it's worth!), and I am going to have a 13 hour layover in Moscow on the way there. Do you know of any organizations that can take me on a quick tour of the city? Preferably one that operates in/out of the airport. Also, any thoughts on what are must do/must sees in Siberia would be great! Thanks!
Anne McDonough: Gary, our Moscow go-to, is out today and none of us here have been to Siberia (China's Heilongjiang Province is the closest we have, I'm afraid). We need the well-traveled chatsters to chime in, please.
Bethesda, Md: I guess I was one of those spring-breakers like KC--it never occurred to me to go to Vegas or some similar place, I couldn't have afforded it. My most memorable spring break was spent in the Metropolitan Museum of Art studying their now infamous Greek vase for an archaeology class. Good thing I studied it then, as the vase is being sent back to Italy soon. (In the same way that I'm glad I got to see Guernica by Picasso at the Museum of Modern Art before it too was sent back). But I guess this just shows that I probably wouldn't have fit in at Daytona/Ft.Lauderdale/Cancun?Vegas anyhow.
KC Summers: A breaker after my own heart. Thanks for sharing.
Washington, DC: My fiance and I are heading to Puerto Rico for our honeymoon in December '06. We've been burned by snowed-in connection flights in Xmas's past and were thinking about a direct flight from Dulles to San Juan. Is $500 too much to pay, or are prices likely to head down between now and then?
Here's hoping for snow-free flights!
Cindy Loose: Whether or not that price is good depends in large measure on when in December you're going. If it's towards the end of the month and bleeding into the Christmas break time, I'd say $500 is probably your price. If you can go earlier in the month, that seems like too much.
If you are going in the Christmas break time frame, then don't expect prices to anywhere to go down. In fact, if that's the case and you can delay your honeymoon, you'd save money on everything and avoid the maddening crowds.
Washington, DC: I have a three hour delay at Denver Airport. What is there to do there?
Andrea Sachs: Downtown Denver is about 35 miles from the airport, so you won't have tons of time to explore the 16th Street Mall or the Capitol area, but still . . . it is better than hanging out in the long-term parking lot. However, do not venture downtown during rush hour (3-6:30 pm) or if it is snowing. Also, don't forget that you need to be back at least an hour before your flight departs.
If you decide to stay in the airport, you can take a self-guided art tour of the terminals, part of the city's Public Art Program (see www.flydenver.com for the art and locations). You can also find exhibitions and peforming artists, depending on the season. The airport also has some of the best shops for Colorado or Western goods, as well as Mexican and cowboy grub, a brewpub and a massage kiosk. You can also enjoy the great outdoors on Level 5, where there are two picnic tables (an employee secret).
Kendall Park, NJ: Hi! The best spring break I ever had was when I met my future husband! I was a senior in college, and I hadn't gone anywhere for spring break before. But my friends insisted that I listen to them and go with them to Florida for spring break, saying that my college experience wouldn't be complete without it. Not only my college experience, but my entire life wouldn't have been complete without it, because I don't think I ever would have met my one and only if I hadn't gone with them. And what's funny is that I wanted to make an early night of it one night and just go to sleep, but they dragged me to a bar, and that's where I met him! What would I have done without my friends?
KC Summers: What a great story! Hear that, kids? Always listen to your friends.
Best Spring Break: I was a sophomore in college (mid-1990s), and I went to
Miami for spring break with Habitat for Humanity. We
spent the week building houses in an that had been
levelled by Hurricane Andrew. We did everything from
framing to hanging drywall to roofing to painting to laying
sod. It was fantastic, watching the neighborhood come
back to life, especially because the residents were right
there with us, helping rebuild their community.
We also spent a few evenings at South Beach, and a day in
Key West (it happend to be St. Patrick's Day, and a guy
who was more than a little drunk asked my boyfriend for
money for the "whiskey research fund")
KC Summers: See, virtue is rewarded (sort of).
Adams Morgan, Washington, D.C.: re: England & chip/PIN credit cards. I was in London last week, and the deal with the chip & PIN is that if your card has a chip, you are now required to use the PIN and you won't be able to sign for it. However, if your card doesn't have a chip, you can still sign for it. Interestingly enough, my American Express card has a chip, but it never worked when they tried to insert it into the chip reader. I had to still sign for it each time.
Cindy Loose: I'll be there in a week, so good to know. I'll talk to some credit card people at some point and do an item about when we can all expect chips and pins. I'm all for reducing credit card scamming, but I'm really not feeling the need for yet another password to enter my own life.
chips in cards: This is only for cards issued in the UK. They started a while ago adding the chips to credit cards and IF you have a chip (which at this point 99.9% of cards issued in the UK do) then you have to have a pin to use it.
We were concerned about it, but it turns out that if you don't have a chip then you don't have to have a pin and there should be no problem using it.
Cindy Loose: Ahhh, if this is only UK, then we can all forget about it.
Lorton, Va: I worked during my spring breaks also. But I did do two road trips to New Orleans during college to watch Tech play in the sugar bowl. And given how we partied, it might as well have been spring break! For my undergrad trip, we were actually featured in a Roanoke Times article on "budget students" traveling for the trip. We stayed in the scariest hotel I have ever been it. Family Inns of America surrounded by barbed wire. Ahhh... college memories!
KC Summers: Yikes! Maybe one day we'll have a "scariest hotel" contest. You'd be in the running.
Eastern Shore: Most memorable Spring Break trip...Ft. Lauderdale. I had the best of everything. The beach, great bars, some really cute guys and bingo with my 84 year old grandmother at her counrty club!
KC Summers: Awww. Kinda like an Adam Sandler movie.
I lived in Lawton over 30 years ago and I've had a chance to see Oklahoma City and Tulsa. While nice, I didn't quite get the feeling Tulsa was such an art friendly or alternative life style friendly place....Was it hard to find the people you were writing about?
KC Summers: Unfortunately Gary's away but he'll be back next week, so hold that thought...
Italy Help!: Crew and chatters: Have you had a positive experience with online ticket-booking services (like goporta.com) that secure your Colosseum, Pitti Palace, Vatican City, and other tourist attraction tickets in advance?
I'm going to Italy in May and I've been told that the lines for these attractions can be very long. Online ticket-booking services promise to reserve your tickets and cut waiting times, but I haven't seen any reviews.
Cindy Loose: We have written about them in the past but none of us here in this room today have used em. Any chatters had a good experience with them?
Best Spring Break: Going from LSU to Destin, Florida. 6 girls and one large cadillac borrowed from Daddy. Stopped at a Mississippi diner on the way and admired the waitress' tan. She told us she used crisco. We got a huge tub of it before hitting the beach and applied it liberally. We fried. We still laugh about it when we all get together. Priceless.
KC Summers: That is hilarious. Thanks for the laugh! (Till the skin cancer kicks in.)
Question: Are NYC hotels always ridiculously expensive? Was looking for a 2 night weekend stay in mid May and was shocked at the prices. Are there any hidden gems I should look for or websites that might offer better deals than the Expedia's and Orbitz's of the world?
Anne McDonough: It can I was just up in the city checking out hotels for our annual New York issue (May 7 this year); a few hotels that we found for May weekend dates for under $200 per night include the Gershwin (small rooms, great NY character), the Roger Williams (chic boutique on Madison), and the Wall Street Inn (right near...Wall Street...but also the ferries to Ellis Island and Liberty Island). Check Quikbook.com and Hotels.com, etc. in addition to the two you mention. But you're right--it's a crazy hotel world up there. Good luck!
Bethesda, Md: Best spring break ever was a trip to Germany sophomore year (of college) with my roommate and her mom. Did not at all mind mom being there, as she not only paid for the rental car, but she also drove it. I, on the other hand, took care of accomodations and tour guides - we stayed with a cousin and his girlfriend, and they treated us like royalty. We experienced high culture (Lenbachhaus - fabulous art museum in Munich), gastronomical delights (my roommate had only been to France before and at the end of our trip said that she preferred German food to French!), low culture (Hofbrauhaus), cute little German towns, and Salzburg, too. Plus, far more frequent flier miles than for flying (or - gasp - driving) to Florida. Not just a fabulous spring break, but a fabulous trip in general. Definitely beats fighting off drunk frat boys in Daytona Beach!
KC Summers: Oh man. What a great trip, plus miles too!
Washington, DC: Hi -- somewhat urgent, and I can't seem to find the answer elsewhere. Some or many rental car companies in California prohibit taking the car out of state. I guess they are concerned about Tijuana, or maybe even Las Vegas. But I want to visit Carson City and Virginia City, which seem pretty safe to me.
How can I find out, before booking, which car rental companies in California will allow this travel? Alamo supposedly uses GPD to identify the cars that leave the state!
Andrea Sachs: To our knowledge, you can drive a rental car anywhere you'd like--even the moon; you just have to return it on time. If you do choose to go to Mexico, you will need additional insurance, but your regular rental agreement and insurance will certainly cover your drive to Nevada. Try the major rental car companies, like National.
not the best...: this is a howler, not the worst but definitely the lamest!
Freshman in college, age 18, went to Florida for spring break with a friend.
My grandparents spent their winters in New Smyrna, which is near Daytona.
They wouldn't let us borrow the car but would drop us off at the beach once in a while (not even every day/all day). It was a production - Grampa never drove unless Gramma and their lapdog went too. and he drove about 20 miles an hour. yes, he wore a hat.
we were shy, knew no one, and couldn't go anywhere without checking first. and being driven. and picked up - which means no late nights at all.
in desperation, we found a beer can in the weeds which was undamaged on one side. we took a few photos with that beer can, in the typical loser pose you see when people are drinking - pointing at the beer can while smirking. just to be able to say it wasn't the lamest vacation ever. I don't think we ever pulled the photos out to show anyone but it was a funny idea.
I've since had FAR better vacations. and I get to drive, too!
KC Summers: High-larious. Glad your vacations have improved... Thanks for more laughs!
Washington, D.C.: Help me help me! I need round-trip overnight train tickets from Paris to Madrid for next week. The two websites I've found are eurorailways.com and raileurope.com, and both are charging about the same, $300/person for the two of us, each way. We can't take the cheaper tourist-class tickets because those cabins are segregated by gender and we are one of each.
Any suggestions, or have I already found what's out there? The Eurail France-Spain pass doesn't seem to save much if any money.
Just want to know I'm not missing some huge excellent deal before I drop this cash.
Cindy Loose: Whether that's the best you can do depends on what you mean by "$300/person for the two of us each way." If you mean $300 each way for each person, that's too much.
A quick look at www.eurail.com, for example, showed you can get a pass good for four days over a two-month period for between $242 and $312 per person, and of course that would take you roundtrip plus some extra train rides once you landed in the main cities.
It's worth finding out if the cheaper tourist class tickets allow you to ride together while you're awake, cause if so, having to separate to separate cars to sleep might not be worth fretting about.
DC - Cambodia?: I'm headed to Singapore on business during the last week of April. I've added 4 days on to my trip for a side excursion.
I spent two weeks in Singapore a few years back, so I'm thinking about heading to another nearby country. I've always wanted to see Angkor Wat. I've found a package through Silk Air for S $1,428, all inclusive. Sound reasonable? Any other suggestions in the region? (I've already been to China, Japan, and Taiwan and I'm going to Korea in September...)
Andrea Sachs: I would definitely recommend Angkor Wat; I was there a couple years ago and it blew my mind. I wish I could have stayed longer, and even explored other parts of Cambodia, which has such an intriguing history, incredible temples and personable people. You could also take a quick flight over to Vietnam and experience the crazy-fun world of Ho Chi Minh.
rental car drop-off: i have rented cars many times at one location (ie, salt lake city, manchester) and droped off elsewhere (ie denver, burlington)and never had a fee charged. i think as long as you rent from a company that has outlets at multiple airports, there should be no problem.
Cindy Loose: That has not been my experience; drop off fees are common. In fact, you can't drop off if the rental company doesn't have locations in both the places you're leaving and the places you're going. I think you just have to plug in the departure and destination points and see what price comes up. It's not a great deal to escape the dropoff fee if the prices are higher than renting with another agency that does have a drop off fee. I'd say just research prices asyou normally would, and pick the best provider.
Boston to Tucson: I will be visiting a friend in Tucson next week, three days/four nights. I'm using FF miles, and since it's a holiday weekend, I couldn't get a longer stay without leaving the middle of the following week! I've never visited Arizona before, and I'm wondering what cool stuff I MUST do whilst there. So far, we have planned the Arizona-Sonoran Museum (and ZOO), Tombstone and possibly Bisbee. As I'm flying in and out of Phoenix, we'll be doing Sedona on my last day there. Am I missing anything? This is a budget trip. Thanks to All.
KC Summers: I LOVE Tucson. You could easily stay in town the whole three days and not run out of stuff to do. Definitely do the zoo -- it's wonderful, with great walking trails and "invisible" cages -- and try to get to Saguaro National Park. Amazing. Don't miss San Xavier del Bac Mission, the "White Dove of the Desert" -- it is really gorgeous, and moving (the Indians, who are Catholics, still worship there). There's a cool airplane junkyard, sounds dumb but it's really neat. Most of all, get out and hike or horseback ride to appreciate some of the most beautiful scenery ever. Tombstone, frankly, I'd pass on, but Sedona is gorgeous -- I'm just worried you'll not have time to do everything justice.
Anyone else have Ariz. tips?
San Francisco, Calif.: on the chip in the credit card, not to scoop you guys, but several papers on friday and over the weekend had articles on this phenomenon. i know the chicago tribune put a blurb on their travel blog, and the seattle times had a full article on it for their friday paper. here is a link to the seattle times article (i cannot locate the chicago tribune, at least i think it was the trib): http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travelwise/2002867484_pucci19.html
Cindy Loose: I don't like being scooped. But I'll check it out.
Washington, DC: I am travelling on Midwest Airlines and making a connection in Kansas City and it looks like they gave us 20 minutes between flights. That seems like a recipe for disaster, but, the planes are on gates that are next to each other. Is this common? Should we not check our bags in case of a delay, rescheduling?
Andrea Sachs: That seems kind of tight, even if the gates are next to each other. You might want to call your travel agent or the airline and see if you can switch to the next connecting flight, since that is what they will have to do anyway, if you miss your flight.
Chicago, Ill: My best Spring Break was during my semester abroad in Australia (where it's actually called Easter Break due to the reversed seasons). We went on an Extreme Adventures trip called One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish (and an Occasional Dingo). Over the course of a week, we camped on the world's largest sand island (Fraser Island), sailed around the Whitsunday Islands, and went white water rafting, snorkeling, sky diving and scuba diving. I don't think it can get much better than that!
KC Summers: Oh man. My college days were definitely misspent. Thanks for sharing, it sounds great.
Wildest Spring Break: My Spring Break experience was in Miami (South Beach), FL. A list of what me and my friends experienced: Dancing in a club that had an aquarium floor, with fish swimming under our feet; being approached (and even threatened) by real-life pimps; buying naughty, outrageous t-shirts and cruising the streets wearing them, making all the girls blush; being turned away from a club by a macho bouncer who didn't like my response to his question "Do you support our war in Iraq" (I said no); visiting an extremely uber-upscale VIP lounge; and of course, endless partying, drinking, and the beach.
KC Summers: Hey, what club was that? Sounds cool.
Beans and Rice Spring Break: The best spring break I ever had was with my sister in Puerto Rico. We went to get away from lots of college roomate stress. We had almost no budget and stayed at a condo NOT near the beach. We took the public bus to the beach each day, ate cheese sandwiches for lunch each day and rice and beans almost every night, except once or twice we splurged. It was the most relaxing time I ever had, and wasn't filled with beer, parties or debauchery.
KC Summers: I love this. Thanks for contributing a little bit of sanity! (Actually, we're getting a lot of nice stories. It restores my faith...)
Silver Spring, Md: When is the best time of year to go to Galapagos?For the older traveler do the various tour boats have provision for keeping medicines cold?How difficult is it to get in and out of the zodiacs?Are there enough zodiacs to avoid waits to get to shore and back?How tiring are the land excursions (hiking)?
Johannah E. Barry: All times are great, the winter months -November through March are very warm (90s) and the summer months - say June- October are slightly cooler (75s). Yes, boats have refrigerators for all sorts of things, so no worries there. I think getting in and out of the zodiacs is tricky, I'm glad you asked the question. From the boat to the zodiac is not so bad, but the zodiac to shore can be bumpy and wet. So folks may elect to stick with the dry landings and not with the wet landings (where you get off in the water and wade to shore). The number of zodiacs equal the number of pax so its not a big wait. The level of difficulty on land really depends on the hiker. I would not have taken my 90 year old father, because the terrain is uneven and the are possibilities of slipping. But I would have taken my 78 year old mother in law with no problem at all. And I like my mother in law!
Arlington, Va: My best spring break ever was just a couple weeks ago. My father and I took a bonding trip to Istanbul Turkey! The weather was great, and we did a lot of memorable things: took a ferry ride up the Bosphorus, saw the Black Sea, shopped in the biggest covered market in the world (Grand Bazaar), saw the Whirling Dervishes, etc. It was amazing to be out and walking around when the call to prayer was being sung out throughout the city... to hear the muezzins all together, while looking at some of the grandest mosques in the world (Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia, etc).
And Topkapi Palace is a MUST see for anyone going to Turkey, it's where the sultans lived until the mid 19th century, and they have artifacts from Mohammed, like hairs from his beard, letters he wrote, and his swords. A great city!
KC Summers: Wow, you guys. You're definitely raising the spring break bar.
Wilkes Barre, Pa: re Spring BreakI also usually worked on my spring breaks, untill my senior year. That year I was invited by a guy I was seeing, to a road trip to visit some former neighbors and relatives of his in Maine. It actually ended up being the worst road trip I was ever on. But the highlight was being invited to dinner at a former neighbor's house. It was an italian couple, and the husband made his own tomato sauce from tomatos that he grew. Absolutely the best italian meal I have ever had. That meal almost made up for trying to find a bank that would cash my Penn State University check from my campus job, so we would have enough money for gas to get home!!
KC Summers: Funny! And it might be because I haven't had lunch yet, but I can almost taste that tomato sauce.
New York, NY: Flight from New York to L.A. for July are around $350 right now. Do you think they'll go down? Seems like a lot for a popular route...
Cindy Loose: The cheapest cheapest ever is $99 each way, so with taxes, you're looking at about $250. That's so cheap that the airlines lose money offering it, so I wouldn't count on it in the busy month of July. You could however take a look at what Jet Blue is charging to Long Beach.
RE: Myrtle Beach: Hey Myrtle - have you checked Hooters (no, they have real people piloting, not Hooters girls) or Airtran? I have flown to Myrtle on both for a lot less than the amount you are talking about, and the airport is great - easy in and out. Good Luck
Anne McDonough: Since they're coming from Providence, Hooters wouldn't work but Airtran, if they didn't mind flying out of Boston, would if they didn't mind a LONG flight (with connections, it would be about 8 hours, looking at the time table). But thanks for the reminder!
Where in Siberia: You do realize you're talking about an area that's larger than the US, right? Well, there's great adventure skiing in Kamchatka, with the volcanoes and all. And you have to see Lake Baikal if you're in the south. Or hit up Kyzyl and see the throat singer concerts. Take a ride on at least part of the trans-siberian railroad.
Anne McDonough: For the Moscow and Siberia business traveler . . .
Best Spring Break: 4 girls piled in our friend's mom's buick and drove south---28 hours straight from college to Key West. Once we got there, we camped for the week at the campground on the island. It was great--the campground was half filled with spring breakers and half filled with very old snowbirds. We did the the fun key west nightlife, but also just sat by the campfire some nights as well. The one lesson that I learned was that palm trees do not provide the amount of shade needed after a long night of mixed drinks and the tents turn into mini ovens. Overall, it was a great roadtrip/camping trip/beach filled vacation for a lot less than what everyone else was paying.
KC Summers: So you got striped tans, that's what you're saying? Actually, this sounds wonderful.
Galapagos Rocks!: Mr. Barry - Have you seen the requirements change (for better or worse) regarding the number visitors per guide allowed on an island? We had a small group (6 visitors to 1 guide) when I went in 1998 and it was truly amazing.
For future travellers: take twice as much film/memory sticks as you THINK you'll need and bring water socks or water shoes for those wet landings.
Johannah E. Barry: I believe the new ratio is something like 10:1. I agree with you, clearly the more interaction with guide and passenger, the better. You make a good point about film, but remember, no need for those telephoto lenses. The animals are often too close! And don't be surprised if you find you got home with three rolls of marine iguanas alone...
Washington, DC: For the Siberia bound traveler: In Moscow one company I have personally used is Patriarshy Dom tours - very professional and been in business since at least 2000 when I first used them. No, I don't own stock in the company. I don't know about airport pickup but in Russia anything can be done for a fee. Probably 40-60 dollars at least for a ride from Sheremetevo. Also, don't underestimate how long passport control will take - could be up to an hour and a half. So run off the plane as fast as you can and don't feel shy about staking your place in line. Siberia is a big place but if you're in Irkutsk you should head over to Lake Baikal, for natural wonders, and Ulan Ude, for Buddhism and the world's largest Lenin head.
Anne McDonough: Great-thanks for the firsthand info!
europe overnight train follow-up: Ah, but the problem with the Eurail pass is that for the overnight train you have to buy a reservation as well -- so even with the pass, it's still at least $100 each way for the train, thereby eliminating the savings.
Unless I'm reading these sights wrong.
Which it's possible I am.
Cindy Loose: How about flying? Used to be train was cheaper, but that day passed with discount carriers in Europe.
Waldorf, Md: Have any of today's chatters ever experienced a European River Cruise. My wife and I (in our 30s) are looking at River Cruises with Uniworld or Viking River Cruises. Any experience with these companies, their ships, or their itineraries? Are the cruises geared towards an older clientele (Would we be the youngest people on the boats?). Thanks in advance for the insight!
Andrea Sachs: We personally have never taken a tour with them, but perhaps someone out there has? Please, if so, speak up!
You can also check cruise review sites, such as Cruise Critic and Tripadvisor (though I could not find anything on this particular line).
Re: Paris: A coworker just returned from 10 days in Paris and reported no impact at all on her trip from the riots.
KC Summers: Good to hear, thanks for chiming in.
Adams Morgan, Washington, D.C.: I've taken the sleeper train from Paris to Barcelona, and the sleeper cars were not segregated by gender. I'd double check that to make sure that's correct... I've taken sleeper trains all over Europe and never once come across that.
Also, it may actually be cheaper to fly. I'm not sure who flys from Paris to Madrid, but check airlines like EasyJet to see. Much faster, and sleeper trains really aren't that much fun, even if it seems like it would be!
Cindy Loose: Thanks. If flying is a possiblity also try ryan air, and you can find a bunch of different carriers at www.openjet.com.
Galapagos: Is it possible for tourists to visit the rain forests on the islands? If so, how?
Johannah E. Barry: Well, rain forest is something of a misnomer. The highlands of Santa Cruz island, where you will undoubtedly go as that is the home for the Research Station and the Galapagos National Park (and the largest town in Galapagos, Puerto Ayora), can be visited with a car or taxi. They are moist from the misty garua or light drizzle that is captured up at that elevation. You can see ferns, orchids, scalesia and vermillion flycatchers. But don't expect rainforest animals or significant patches of actual rainforest. To do that, visit the Amazon on your way back to Quito for a few days. Some wonderful lodges there and good guides.
Madison, Wis: Hi Flight Crew! My boyfriend and I are trying to plan a bike tour for sometime this spring/summer. We are thinking Ireland or Greece. There seems to be a lot of information on cycling in Ireland, so I feel fairly comfortable with that option. He is leaning towards Greece as a sightseeing destination, but we are having a hard time finding information on cycling there, such as what the roads are like, traffic conditions (I've read Athens is horrendous), etc. The Rough Guide book on Greece only briefly mentions that the Greeks consider cyclists to be a "lower form of life" and there don't seem to be any cycling-specific guidebooks for Greece. All of which is making me worry that perhaps Greece is not best seen on a bicycle. But does anyone have personal experience with this? Thanks!
KC Summers: Gonna throw this out to the chatters -- anyone done this? Ireland, I can tell ya, is great for cycling, but you already knew that.
keeping it clean in Fairfax: Johanna "...you will see boobies everywhere" is hardly keeping it clean--grin!
Johannah E. Barry: Oh dear...
Washington, D.C.: I have a four hour layover in Chicago (O'Hare) soon. I was planning on packing extra reading material, but reading these chats has made me wonder if I should try and go somewhere. Any chance I can go exploring and still catch my connecting flight? (It'll be a Tuesday afternoon.)
Cindy Loose: That is such a huge and busy airport that I'd probably just stick to the airport. Four hours is really kind of on the cusp of having enough time to do something, but my personal opinion: not quite.
Car Rental REstrictions: I hate to disagree with the Flight Crew, but Anne is wrong. Car rental agreements routinely limit where you can drive the car, especially if comes with unlimited miles. Often, it is a state, or a 2-3 state area if in the east. You have to check the rental agreement as it's often written in the fine print. This is not done all the time, but often enough.
Andrea Sachs: That was me, Andrea, not Anne. My answer came from calls I made to the main rental companies, who said you could drive out of state. Plus, I myself have driven cars across state borders. If we are talking California to Nevada, that also follows the 2-3 state area. But I agree, ask before you sign the dotted line.
Flights to Boston: JetBlue is a great option from Dulles to Boston, I booked a weekend in May for $190 r/t and it could have been even cheaper if my flight times were more flexible.
Dallas, Tex: Dear Italy,I booked all of our museum tickets online. For Rome, you can book the Borghese online, but everything else (Vatican, Colosseum) has no advance booking. Try weekendafirenze.com for pre-booking the Accademia and Uffizi in Florence. The Accademia in Venice has its own site (in Italian, but easy to use) for pre-booking.
Deep Valley, USA: Italy tickets - your concierge can help you get those a couple of days in advance, same deal. Or will give you the phone numbers of the same services and you can do it yourself. Just give yourself at least a week lead time during popular periods.
Deep Valley, USA: I'm organizing what amounts to a non-family reunion of about 30 people in the fall.
Are there rental houses in or very near DC that can hold a group of 20 (the rest will be staying in homes)? B and Bs seem more expensive than renting a home would be.
KC Summers: Not that we know of, DV. That's a pretty large group. Best to check with a real estate agent, though. You might consider a conference center although that would likely be just as pricey as B&Bs. Unless any of the chatters know better?
Galapagos Scuba Diving: Can you recommend dive operators that are particularly responsible about operating in the Galapagos. Do dive operators or live-aboards have to get any special license to run trips in such a fragile area?
Johannah E. Barry: I actually can't. Although I have dived in Galapagos, it wasn't with a company.. Let me cogitate on that, and write us at our website, galapagos.org, and I'll try and get an answer to you.
Bronx, NY: Couple of comments:
For the Siberia-bound: Where exactly are you going? It's a big place, but if you're in the vicinity of Lake Baikal, you're in for some of the most amazing scenery anywhere on earth. If you can swing it, try to get to the north end of the lake, it's way less developed (and consequently way less polluted). I haven't been there since it was all still the Soviet Union, and I was on a government-sponsored tour at the time, so I'm no help with tour companies, etc., but there should be something!
You're only going for a short trip, so skip Sedona. It's a solid four hour drive from Tucson to Sedona, with Phoenix traffic in the middle to slow you down, and no roadside attractions (bar outlet malls) to break the monotony. There are a number of national parks/monuments to check out - ruins and cactus habitats, mainly - have a look at the nps.gov, the National Park Service website. There's also Kartchner Caverns, a large cave system that's also a state park.
KC Summers: Thanks Bronx, that's very helpful.
Virginia: My cousin is getting married in Scotland this September (Inverness to be exact). I have relatives in England, who I would also like to see. And I was thinking that I would like to see another city (i.e.Paris, Brussels, Rome, Madrid) and at this I was thinking about flying from Dulles to London and then taking one of those inexpensive airlines to both Scotland as well as one of these other cities. I will or won't either be traveling with my husband, but will be traveling with my almost 3 year old daughter. What do you think is the best way to search for flights. Is there one site that lists all those inexpensive airlines flying in and about Europe or should I do this through a travel agent in England and just wing it when I get there? And would you have a recommendation for a particular city that is better for small children...I am leaning toward Paris. thanks
Cindy Loose: In fact there are a couple sites that have a number of inter-Europe airlines. The one that comes to mind is openjet.com. I believe ryan air is not included on that site, so check it separately---as a U.K.-based airline it might be your best bet. Flexibility helps--sometimes the prices range dramatically, like $50 one day and $200 a next to the same place.
Hooters air: ...is no more. At least it is only doing charter flights. Announced Friday, I think.
Anne McDonough: Yet another reason not to fly it to from Providence ;)
Best spring break: Six friends and i went to PR on spring break. We knew somone in Rincon and she was supposed to plan out trip with activities. We got to Rincon, a great sleeply surf town, and had two beachfront condos for 600 bucks a week total. each day, something happened that canceled our day trips (ie, an uncle got sick, the van has a flat tire) and whole week was spent a beach with lots of corona. Each morning, we tried to guess the excuse that would cancel whatever plans were supposed to happen. IT was very relaxing in the end and i think it was better that we just chilled in the surf village.
KC Summers: Great story, and Puerto Rico is wonderful, isn't it? Our colleague John loved Rincon when we there last fall.
Solomons, Md: Galapagos - are there any options for landlubbers? My husband has this high on his list of places to see, but he may have to go alone - my incredible ability to get sick at the tiniest boat motion really makes the trip seem out of reach for me. Any ideas? Thanks!
Johannah E. Barry: Yep, there are. You can spend some time in Puerto Ayora or Puerto Villamil (the former is quite a bit larger) and do day visits, go up to the highlands, do some shopping or do some snorkeling. You could keep busy for a few days and have your own adventures. johannah
re:Paris: We just returned from Paris last weekend. The only effect was closure of museums and monuments (e.g. Eiffel Tower) and slight delays on Metro on Tuesday, the day of the demonstrations and strike. I suspect the same will be true tomorrow when another day of strikes and demonstrations are called for.
re: Greece: I would guess you are taking your life in your hands cycling in Athens (except for the wide street near the Acropolis that is closed to cars.) on the islands, you're going to compete with mopeds everywhere. I wouldn't have felt comfortable on a bike there.
KC Summers: Hear that, bikers? Thanks for the tips.
Galapagos Diving: I'm heading on a live-aboard for some diving there in August (for viewing the whale sharks). I'm very excited. Any word on the dive operators' from an environmental standpoint?
On a related matter, I've seen increased tourism to previously unknown areas like Belize really take its toll. The span of one year there really was not good on the reef. Esp. since cruise ships -the BIG ones- started docking there. (The locals of San Pedro allegedly went and cut the mooring lines. I have to admit that I applauded the move).
Folks, when you are anywhere . . . esp. sensitive areas, take care to minimize your impact. Not only for the other tourists but for the marine/plant/animal life that call those places home.
(Getting off my soap box).
Johannah E. Barry: I am grateful for your last thoughts. Yes, it really is up to us to visit responsibly. And I really can't give you any useful opinion on dive boats. I don't know them well enough but you've given me some homework to do.
Re: Flying to Boston: You could look into taking Southwest to Manchester, NH, or
Providence, RI, each about an hour's drive from Boston.
You'd have to factor in car rental as there isn't a cheap/easy
way to go on public transport or shuttle, but Southwest's
fares are often cheap enough that it's worth it.
KC Summers: Yes, those are both great alternate options, thanks.
To the KC Airport Connector: I used to live in KC and while I moved almost 3 years ago, I doubt the airport has changed much. And I have to say - you WILL NOT make your connecting flight, even if you get in on time because Kansas City airport has security for each gate. Yup, not by terminal, but by gate. It is a nightmare and a half. Good luck.
KC Summers: Ah. Thanks for the reality check.
London layover: Greetings! I'm going to Europe in early May and I'll be landing in Heathrow (flying on United) at about 7 am and want to go directly to Paris. It appears that a one-way British Airways flight from Heathrow is most economical....do you think 3 hours between flights is enough cushion to deplane, get through customs, get our bags, and recheck them for our short flight to Paris?
Cindy Loose: I just got a letter from a woman who had 2.5 hours between flights at Heathrow and she couldn't make the connection. The Heathrow website warns of problems and delays, so.....If I were flying on one ticket to Heathrow and then onward to Paris I'd risk it, cause worst that would happen is that you'd have to get on the next flight provided by that airline. But if you're talking two separate tickets, then keep in mind that if you don't make the connection, you are simply going to be considered a no show and no one owes you an onward flight. You'd probably have to buy a whole new ticket to Paris in that event, at walk-up fare prices.
So, it depends on your circumstances. If you have two tickets involved, I'd not risk it.
re: Galapagos: what is the best time of year to travel to the Galapagos? It is on my list of "must do" places.
Johannah E. Barry: really there are no good or bad times. The summer months -say may through august or so are croweded with more kids on vacation, and are cooler (mid 70s). The winter months are much warmer and very high tourist season as many people like to spend their holidays in Galapagos. I prefer the cooler months...
Springfield, Va: I'm planning a trip to Hawaii in May. We were planning to stay at the Grand Hyatt. Can you tell me about the flooding/dam burst in Kauai? Do you think it will be OK?
Also, if you were picking an island for golf and relaxation, would you pick Kauai or Lanai?
Cindy Loose: Kauai is apparently doing okay and recovering quickly. By the way, if you're not flying directly into Kauai but buying an inter-island ticket, check prices quickly. i just heard that there's a sale going on and all three carriers there are matching, but you have to buy tickets by April 7.
As to Kauai or Lanai---that's personal preference, but I found Lanai a little too quiet--to the point of being boring, and I'm not a razzle dazzle style person. Love Kauai.
Washington, D.C.:: We looked into a Galapagos trip, but it sounded like a tightly choreographed effort of ships and passengers throughout the park. Does it feel like there are always boats disgorging tours, and hustling them about? It looked like the Alaska cruise ship industry, but on a smaller scale. Or do you not actually see all other tourists?
Johannah E. Barry: It actually doesn't feel that way. The closest I feel to that moment is when I visit Academy Bay in Santa Cruz Island where I see all the boats docked. But as a tourist, you really don't see more than 2-3 boats at any one island at any one time. the itineraries are tightly controlled by the Park in terms of who goes where and when (think river rafting in the West). During high season (november - feb) you may run into another group on the beach or landing site, but that's about it. Not bad for 100K tourists..johannah
Mexico City: Just got back Saturday. Third time was a charm (the other two times were strictly business). Lovely city! Too much traffic, but a very compelling place to visit. I visited Chapultepec Castle - should be on everyone's list.
where is your favorite place to go, so I can put it on the list for next time?
KC Summers: It changes hourly. Right now it's the Jaguar Reserve in Belize.
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.: I'm traveling out of BWI on Sunday evening. What's the best place to eat in or carry onto the plane there?
Andrea Sachs: Since I don't know your taste in cuisine (I tend toward vegetarian, not everyone's cup of greens), you should check out BWI's Web site (www.bwiairport.com), which has a list of its restuarants (look under terminal maps). My picks: Nature's Table, Calfornia Tortilla, Fells Point Brew Pub. For local favs: Bill Bateman's Bisro (where chicken wings are king), Phillips Famous Seafood (crab, crab and more crab) and Ram's Head Tavern.
Washington, DC: Going to Australia this summer and starting to plan now. We have about 2 weeks to visit and were originally planning on going to 3 cities...is this too much to do in a 2 week period (2 weeks doesn't include US to Australia travel). We were thinking of going to Kakadu National Park for a few days...if we need to cut back, this is likely what will get cut. Any advice?
Cindy Loose: If you have 12-14 in Australia, not including travel time getting there, I don't see a problem with visiting three places. Personally, I'd go for it, checking first the flight or driving times to the three places you're considering.
International vs. US: Hi there: A friendly suggestion: maybe you could have 2 travels chats: one for international travel and one for US travel? That way, if I'm curious about Paris, I don't have to scroll through info about Rehobeth or the Poconos, and vice versa.
KC Summers: If we didn't have this pesky newspaper to put out, we could do more chats!
Maryland: example on car rentals: Enterprise in the MD/DC/VA area routinely gives you access to all three jurisdictions - usually if you need additional ones (especially if it is an insurance rental) they'll add it on. But if it isn't on the contract and you get pulled over for speeding or something, you can be arrested and the car impounded. Also - MOST rental companies flat out won't let you take the car across the MS river (too many miles being put on the car).
Andrea Sachs: The lesson: Don't drive fast! At least in a rental.
Charlottesville, Va: I liked your story about the Galapagos islands. However there was a picture of someone's foot touching a baby sea lion. When I went there last year, they made a big deal about not touching the animals, and not even getting that close to them! So what happened?
Johannah E. Barry: You are quite right. It is strictly against park rules to touch the animals. And as you know from your trip, sometimes that's pretty hard to avoid. They are so friendly and fearless. Let's hope that there's more to that story and picture.
Anne McDonough: Mea culpa! Thanks for mentioning this, and Johannah for chiming in with an official response. We ran a stock company photo with the story; in retrospect, a shot that just showed the adorable sea lion minus the human element would have been more appropriate. Do as the guides say, and not as that picture showed!
rental cars/multiple states: I've rented cars before, once from Enterprise, where the contract clearly stated I was limited to driving in x, y, and z states. Now, if the company doesn't use GPS, they'll never know, but if you're in an accident or something, you could be in breach of the contract. I don't remember what the penalty was for breach, though. Read the contract carefully, and get a copy ahead if you can.
Andrea Sachs: Yes, best not to go outside the allowed zone. Again: It's all in the fine print.
Annapolis, Md: Spring Break Story - at the last minute my friend, who was a plebe at the Naval Academy, and I went to Virginia Beach. Most schools didn't start their break until the week after so there were no other college kids around to party with. The weather was still cold, the wind was kicking up and to top it off, we stayed on the military base down there via my friends Acadamy connection. he was so low down on the totem pole at the time that they didn't even put clean sheets on the bed from the last guest! We had to sleep on the floor the entire trip!
KC Summers: Yuck! Hope your trips have improved since then.
Europe-bound: Submitting early because of a work commitment. I am traveling with two elderly aunts to Spain and Italy and, though I've never done one, think a trip with a tour company will be easier on all (guides, coaches, someone to carry bags...). I have tried to investigate tour companies, but am not getting good information. Can you or chatters recommend reliable places to start or companies you have good (or bad) experiences with? Many thanks.
Cindy Loose: I'd start by making sure that the tour operator was a member of a major tour organization like the USTOA--United States Tour Operator Association. That's no guarantee you'll be happy, but they are vetted somewhat, and they pay into a fund so they have some coverage in case of bankruptcy.
Given your circumstances I think a tour is a good idea. I'd check with a travel agent, and ask them how often they've sent people on whatever tour operator they recommend.
Denver, Colo.: Galapagos question: We're looking forward to a visit in July! When researching the trip, it seemed that there were a limited number of boats available (we were looking for small yachts carrying between 10 and 15 people), which were owned by a few companies, and that various trip operators in the US were just re-selling weeks on the boats. Comparing the operators, there were wild variations in the prices each charged. Do the higher prices just mean more profit for certain US operators, or are they actually adding value?
Johannah E. Barry: You are asking a very tough and very important question. The largest tour operator in Galapagos is an Ecuadorian company (Metropolitan Touring), but the rest are U.S. or UK based. There are a limited number of smaller boats, but only 6 or so boats with 45-90 passengers. I don't think there is a relationship between the dollars charged and level of responsible tourism, but it is true that the larger ships generally have more amenities, the guiding level is somewhat better, etc. We do list some companies on our website which have an excellent environmental record, which is important clearly for us, but their prices vary as much as any other group. Hope that helps. johannah
KC Summers: Well, everyone, time's up. Thanks for the terrific spring break stories -- talk about a range. And special thanks to Johanna for joining us and sharing her Galapagos expertise.
Okay, I think today's prize has to go to the Crisco girl, so send your contact info to me and we'll get the goodies right out to you. Also, I've got to send a consolation prize to the poor girl whose grandparents drove her to the beach every day. Thanks for participating, everyone, and keep an eye out for next Sunday's print edition, with said spring break story.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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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Joining the Flight Crew today is Johannah E. Barry, president of the Galapagos Conservancy, who will field questions and comments about travel to the Galapagos.
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Lobbyists In Md. Find Ways to Wine, Dine
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An exception to tough lobbying restrictions that Maryland lawmakers put in place five years ago has given electric utilities and other wealthy interests the ability to spend lavishly on meals for elected officials, state records show.
In recent days, Pepco executives and company-hired lobbyists have engaged in intensive talks with legislators over looming electricity rate increases. At night, they have dined with the lawmakers on at least 10 occasions since January, spending more than $26,000 at upscale steakhouses and other high-priced restaurants, ethics filings show.
The dinner parties are permitted because of an exception in a landmark 2001 ethics law. The law prohibited lobbyists from taking individual members to dinner but permitted meals as long as an entire legislative committee was invited.
"I think we solved one problem and created a whole new one," Del. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Montgomery) said. "The current rules provide in essence a giant loophole to the lobbying reforms."
Most lawmakers and lobbyists say the committee dinners serve as an aboveboard stand-in to past practices. Not too long ago, it was possible for free-spending lobbyists to actually hand over their credit cards to lawmakers so they could run up tabs on drinks and meals.
The committee dinners, by contrast, are publicly announced in advance and are catalogued in detailed records kept by the Maryland State Ethics Commission.
Sen. Thomas M. Middleton (D-Charles), who chairs the committee handling the utility regulations, said the public shouldn't view the dinners as problematic. "What I get out of it is, if there is an issue coming before my committee, I can sit down and get their view of it in a relaxed atmosphere," Middleton said. "I recognize it is one side of the issue, and I know it is incumbent on me to get the other side."
Still, many lobbyists who represent nonprofit and consumer groups say the new rules have exacerbated the concern that the lobbying law was intended to solve -- namely, that those with enough money could buy special access in Annapolis. The ethics filings show that the vast majority of receptions and dinners are hosted by top-grossing local companies that typically cater to corporate clientele and business associations.
"The nonprofit groups can't afford to stage these kinds of lavish dinners," said Sean Dobson, a lobbyist for Progressive Maryland, noting that some committees have more than 20 members. "It's just too expensive for us."
Not all lobbyists take advantage of the allowance. Constellation Energy Group has directed more than $225,000 into campaign contributions to top lawmakers and hired a brigade of lobbyists in town to champion its interests. But records show the group has hosted only two receptions since the General Assembly convened in January.
Many other companies -- including large health care concerns, the alcoholic beverage industry and gambling interests -- have routinely entertained lawmakers. Most legislators, especially those on committees with oversight of business issues, have the chance to eat dinner on most if not every night of the 90-day session, courtesy of lobbyists, the records show.
This year, one of the biggest spenders has been Pepco and its Annapolis lobbying firm, Rikin, Livingston, Levitan and Silver. The firm's chief lobbyist, Joel Rozner, declined to comment when asked about the meals involving Pepco.
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An exception to tough lobbying restrictions that Maryland lawmakers put in place five years ago has given electric utilities and other wealthy interests the ability to spend lavishly on meals for elected officials, state records show.
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Webb Wins the Nabisco Title in a Playoff
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RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif., April 2 -- With a heart-thumping eagle into the cup from 116 yards out in the fairway at her 72nd hole and a six-foot birdie putt on the same green on the first playoff hole, Australian Karrie Webb finished off one of the more memorable comebacks in major tournament history Sunday at Mission Hills Country Club to win the Nabisco Championship and spoil Michelle Wie's bid for her first professional victory.
Webb's final-round 65 and 9-under-par total of 279 erased a seven-shot deficit at the start of the day and helped secure her seventh major title and first triumph since the 2004 season. It was the largest comeback by two shots in the 35-year history of this event, the first major of the LPGA Tour season.
Mexico's Lorena Ochoa, who led each of the first three rounds after shooting 62 on Thursday, also made eagle on the 72nd hole to force the playoff. On her 72nd hole, Ochoa made a brave second shot over water followed by a six-foot putt to complete a round of 72, but in the playoff, she was unable to convert a 15-footer for birdie.
"I'm ecstatic right now. I feel pretty lucky to be here," said Hall of Famer Webb, who had the worst season of her 11-year career in 2005.
"When it goes in the hole, there's always an element of luck there. . . . It was straight at the pin. When it went in, I just couldn't believe it. I think my heart just about jumped out of my chest because it was aching for five minutes. . . . It took me 15 minutes to calm down."
Wie, Ochoa and Natalie Gulbis all will go home with different sorts of heartache.
Playing in her first major as a professional, Wie (70) had a one-shot lead with five holes to play and later had a chance to get in the playoff, as did playing partner Gulbis (69). But Wie decided to chip, rather than putt, from the back fringe 35 feet from the flag on her third shot at the 526-yard 18th hole, and it backfired when her ball skidded on the slick green and rolled 10 feet past the hole.
She missed the birdie putt, watching it graze the left edge as she sank to her knees in despair.
"I thought I had more of a chance to make it chipping," Wie said. "I had no idea it would be that fast. Unfortunately, it scooted away from me. . . . Karrie holing out, Lorena making eagle, me not making birdie, I guess it wasn't meant to be, but I tried my hardest."
So did Gulbis, who has gone 111 events without a victory on the LPGA Tour. Still, she made a tough 15-foot birdie putt at the 171-yard 17th to get to 8 under, and her third shot from the fairway at the 72nd hole left her a 15-footer for birdie and a chance to catch Webb. Gulbis also narrowly missed her putt on the left edge, and she and Wie finished tied for third place.
Webb, who earned $270,000 for her 31st career win, had posted a dismal 76 on Saturday, including two missed two-foot putts, and said her main goal Sunday was to make a few birdies and at least put some pressure on the leaders, two groups behind her. After making three birdies and no bogeys on the front nine, she was only four off the lead shared by Wie and Ochoa when they finished their front nine.
Webb then birdied the 381-yard No. 10 with a 15-foot putt, then laid up short of the green at the 492-yard No. 11 before sticking her wedge to within two feet for another birdie that got her to 7 under. Wie and Ochoa, meantime, were moving in the wrong direction, and when Webb holed out at the 18th -- jumping into the arms of her caddie, Mike Paterson -- the roar could be heard on the 16th hole, where the final group was playing.
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Karrie Webb holes a 116-yard eagle on the 18th hole then makes a 7-foot birdie putt on the same hole in the playoff to beat Lorena Ochoa and capture the Nabisco Championship.
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Local Telecom Stocks Reconnect With Investors
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Looking at the list of Washington's best-performing stocks for the first quarter, you'd think it was 1999 all over again.
Telecommunications -- the Washington area's fastest-growing industry before the tech stock bubble burst -- turned hot again after five years in the freezer.
The rebound produced gains of 50 percent and more for long-suffering shareholders of local communications equipment makers Optelecom-NKF Inc. and Ciena Corp., and network operators Cogent Communications Group Inc. and XO Holdings Inc.
Strong as those stocks were, all but Cogent came with memories of the bad old days when investors were bidding up telecom stocks with little regard to the realities of their business.
Ciena, whose shares gained 75 percent in the past three months, is rated "hold" or "sell" by 22 of the 24 analysts who follow it. Though the stock, which hit a two-year high during the quarter, is trading at $5.21, the overwhelming majority of analysts value the shares at between $3 and $4, based on projected profits.
No analysts even follow XO, which was the top stock for the quarter, up 117 percent to $3.95, or Optelecom, which climbed 84 percent to $24.60.
Based in Germantown, Optelecom -- with sales of $34 million and profits of $1.7 million -- is too small for stock researchers to bother with.
XO, on the other hand, is a $1.4 billion-a-year business. The Reston company lost $147 million last year. That's better than XO's $400 million loss the previous year, but these days most analysts are reluctant to recommend companies just because they are losing less money than before.
Besides, XO is controlled by financier Carl C. Icahn, who brought the company out of bankruptcy. Analysts -- and many investors -- are gun-shy about outfits whose future is totally dependent on their controlling stockholder.
XO and Cogent do demonstrate that the telecom industry is finally coming back. XO was one of the original players in the business of providing high-speed, high-capacity data and Internet connections to businesses. Most companies in that field went bust; there were simply too many of them and too few customers. Slowly the glut of communications capacity is coming down, allowing companies to charge enough to make some money.
District-based Cogent is a cleverly managed company that acquired a batch of floundering communications systems to create one of the world's 10 largest Internet networks. Revenue grew to $135 million last year and is projected to top $150 million this year. The business remains unprofitable but is projecting positive cash flow next year.
In this case, analysts are willing to bet on future profits. Cogent stock climbed 78 percent during the quarter to $9.75. Wachovia Securities recently called Cogent "the best asset play on the growth of the Internet" but cautioned against paying too much for the stock, recommending investors "buy on weakness."
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Looking at the list of Washington's best-performing stocks for the first quarter, you'd think it was 1999 all over again.
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Five Guys, Taking a Bigger Bite
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What a lovely day Tosca Campbell and her daughter Angela Zier are having together. The women just had their nails done at Elizabeth Arden. Look at those nails, painted bright red. But truth be told, there is one more stop that will make their afternoon complete. They'd like a nice, juicy cheeseburger.
So off they go to main street in the stylish Kentlands development in Gaithersburg, bypassing the Thai place, the 1950s-style diner, Latin American food, Indian, sushi, Greek, even Starbucks. Their destination: Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries, a little joint with all the charm of an RFK Stadium bathroom. The walls are tiled red and white. The floor is a cement slab, covered with peanut shells. The music -- Kiss -- is too loud. And the burgers are flying off the grill, wrapped in aluminum foil, stuffed in greasy brown bags and handed to real estate agents, bankers, UPS drivers, physical therapists, cops, lawyers and women with freshly painted nails.
"This is a good old-fashioned American hamburger, like the kind my mom used to make," said Zier, pausing between bites of her cheeseburger. She is married to Bennett Zier, who heads Daniel Snyder's new Red Zebra Broadcasting venture.
"I mean, look at my mom -- she's just eaten that whole burger." And her nails still look fabulous.
Four years ago, before franchising, Five Guys was just a little family burger operation with five locations and a steady, if cultish following, in Northern Virginia. Today the business is by some estimates heading toward $1 billion in value. Five Guys has 87 locations. Most are in the Washington region, but a hundred more will open along the East Coast this year, and another thousand are being phased in. Each store, the company says, pulls in about $1 million a year.
How Janie and Jerry Murrell and their five sons, the Five Guys, so quickly bit into the nation's $58 billion-a-year burger business is a little bit of a burger whodunit. The Murrells can be gregarious, but they are given to moments of silence when asked how their business grew so big. Their success probably includes a combination of ingredients, though: keeping the business strategy simple (sell burgers and fries) while implementing quick and crucial cooking procedures (press down on the burger just once) that result in a quickly delivered, but juicier, more upscale burger than McDonald's.
"We are the burger alternative to fast food," said Todd Stallings, an owner of the Kentlands franchise. "At McDonald's, the food waits for you. Here you wait for the burger. By doing that, the burger is just coming off the grill. People just appreciate that kind of special quality."
Anyone can flip burgers. What the Murrells have is a singular obsession for flipping burgers, almost as an art form, and the ability to infuse that passion in their franchise owners. All five sons bypassed college to work in the business; the two youngest, Tyler, 19, and Ben, 23, were born into it. Their passion is so strong that arguments have erupted over topics such as: Should the pickles go on top of the tomatoes or should the tomatoes go on top of the pickles?
"Me and Chad, we used to always argue about this," said Matt Murrell, at 37 the second-oldest son, who is in charge of store development. "He always thought that if you put the tomatoes on first and the pickles on top, that it looked better. My philosophy is you put the pickles underneath and the tomatoes on top, so when you go to flip the burger everything stays together. Who won? Me. The pickles go under the tomatoes."
There is a little more to the growth story than resolutions about the orderliness of pickles and tomatoes. For starters, there is the fertile location of the chain's birth. The Washington area is densely populated, and lately a good chunk of that population is in the habit of coveting things that are slightly better than what everyone else has. People don't just want an iPod; they want the iPod Nano. They don't just want a hamburger; they want what Five Guys offers, two freshly formed patties grilled to order right in front of them. Price: $4.49.
"You could get a cup of coffee your whole life from home or from 7-11, but now you're not happy unless you go to Starbucks," said Dan Rowe, chief executive of Fransmart, a Virginia consulting firm that helped launch the Five Guys franchises. "You could get a sandwich at a million places, including Subway, but people go to Panera Bread instead."
Rowe is hinting at a phenomenon called "trading up," which is typically thought to include purchases of high-priced goods. But there is trading up at the other end of the price chain, including fast food. "The tide raises all boats," he said. "If you have an environment where people are trading up, it affects everything from cars to clothes and even to food. Think about what a simple indulgence it is to trade going from McDonald's to Five Guys."
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What a lovely day Tosca Campbell and her daughter Angela Zier are having together. The women just had their nails done at Elizabeth Arden. Look at those nails, painted bright red. But truth be told, there is one more stop that will make their afternoon complete. They'd like a nice, juicy...
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Geologic Faults Cause Structures In New Orleans to Sink, Study Says
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NEW ORLEANS, April 2 -- Add one more possible threat to Louisiana's rebuilding: active geologic faults that are causing levees, flood walls, bridges, homes and other structures to sink.
A new study, published in the April edition of the Geological Society of America's Geology journal, charts a major fault, the Michoud fault, that runs through eastern New Orleans.
The study argues that the fault's downward movement "set the stage for the devastation of Hurricane Katrina by lowering elevations of the land and surrounding levee defenses."
In recent years, studies of subsurface faults, salt domes and other geologic characteristics have emerged as critical in the debate over what is causing Louisiana to lose vast tracts of land. The coast has lost about 1,900 square miles of wetlands -- an area about the size of Delaware -- since the 1930s.
The slumping of the Michoud fault, the study said, has caused as much as about 73 percent of the subsidence in sections of eastern New Orleans, an area that has seen some of the worst rates of land loss in south Louisiana. The land sank by as much as 1.7 inches from 1969 to 1971, according to Roy Dokka, a Louisiana State University geologist.
The study was the result of ongoing work by Dokka and the National Geodetic Survey to calculate land changes in south Louisiana, using global positioning system base stations and tide gauges.
Dokka's theories on how natural tectonic fault movements cause subsidence run counter to studies that have shown oil extraction and soil compaction as main reasons why the land is sinking.
This threat from deep underground has major implications. If faults are causing the sinking, there is very little humans can do to offset the subsidence other than build higher levees.
"It basically says that when levees cross faults, they need to apply more dirt on top of them to keep them safe," Dokka said.
But if oil drilling were the main culprit, then there is hope that the slowdown in onshore drilling will equate to less subsidence.
"Can faulting be induced? Absolutely, and he [Dokka] omits that completely," said Bob Morton, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, who blames oil drilling for large amounts of subsidence.
Morton said sampling peat deposits is a more reliable method for determining long-term rates of sinking.
Based on peat calculations, the rate of subsidence was minimal before oil started being extracted in the 20th century, he said.
Dokka said oil was not drilled near the Michoud fault, so the sinking was not caused by "the usual suspects. . . . It has to be something deep."
A recent report by the National Academy of Sciences, "Drawing Louisiana's New Map," said subsidence needs more study.
Despite the disagreements, subsidence is a component in rebuilding plans. Al Naomi, a top U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project manager, said more attention is being paid to it and to fault studies.
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Complete Coverage on Hurricane Katrina and Rita including video, photos and blogs. Get up-to-date news on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and Rita, news from New Orleans and more.
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India Nuclear Deal May Face Hard Sell
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice flew into New Delhi a year ago and set in motion a revolution in U.S. policy on nuclear weapons and relations with India.
She didn't tip her hand publicly during the brief stop, sticking to bland expressions of "a new relationship" with "great potential." The outlines of her plan were known by only a handful of people in the U.S. government.
Four months later, on July 18, President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved a landmark accord at the White House.
Beyond the invasion of Iraq, few of Bush's decisions have as much potential to shake the international order than his deal with India, supporters and opponents agree. The debate over the deal has pitted against each other two powerful national security goals -- the desire to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and the desire to counter the rise of China, in this case by accelerating New Delhi's ascent as a global power.
After three decades of treating India as a pariah because it used a civilian nuclear program to produce fissile material for weapons, Bush decided the United States would forgive the transgression. India would be able to buy foreign-made nuclear reactors if it opened its civilian facilities to international inspections -- while being allowed to substantially ramp up its ability to produce materials for nuclear weapons.
Previously, the administration had favored an incremental easing of the nuclear rules regarding India. This agreement, as one of Rice's aides put it, was "the big bang," designed to bring historically nonaligned India firmly into the U.S. camp. But the deal has spawned fierce controversy in Washington, in part because going forward would require Congress to change laws for the nuclear sales. Rice will defend the agreement in congressional testimony this week.
The story behind the agreement also sheds light on how foreign policy is conducted in Bush's second term. For an administration frequently criticized for not being nimble, the India deal highlights the flexibility of Rice's foreign-policy team, which has also shifted policies toward Europe, on Iran and other areas in the past year. It demonstrates how, in contrast to the first term, foreign policy is largely driven by Rice and a close circle of advisers, not the White House staff.
But the India deal also shows the drawbacks of this approach, critics say. The agreement is in trouble partly because -- in what some critics say is an echo of the Iraq invasion -- there was little consultation with Congress or within the foreign-affairs bureaucracy before it was announced. Last month in New Delhi, Bush and Singh reached agreement on how India will implement the deal. But nuclear specialists in the U.S. government say their concerns about weapons proliferation also were overridden in final talks.
Now, nuclear experts from across the political spectrum have urged Congress to modify the accord, which the administration and Indian officials say would be tantamount to killing it.
"There are times when you have to engage in incremental diplomacy and there are times you need someone who is willing to make a bold move," Undersecretary of State R. Nicholas Burns said in an interview. "The president was willing a make a bold move towards India, and it is going to pay off for the United States now and into the future."
Many diplomatic turning points, such as President Richard M. Nixon's historic decision to open relations with China, are first conducted in secret because established bureaucracies tend to resist new ideas. Senior U.S. officials reject complaints that the expertise of government nonproliferation specialists was ignored. But, as one person involved in the policy development put it, "it is no accident that [nuclear experts] were not included, because you didn't have to be a seer to know how much they would hate this."
The agreement is also controversial in India, where close association with the United States is viewed with suspicion and the eagerness of the Bush administration to strike an agreement frequently took the Indian establishment by surprise. Before Bush arrived in India last month, Singh had little support in his cabinet for reaching a final accord on implementing the agreement, Indian officials said.
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice flew into New Delhi a year ago and set in motion a revolution in U.S. policy on nuclear weapons and relations with India. During the 2000 presidential campaign, Rice indicated that a future Bush administration would take a new approach to India. In an article...
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Gaining a Dose Of Humility, One Washed Foot at a Time
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As they prepared for the holy ritual, the churchgoers had all the essential items: latex gloves, nail clippers, chlorine and antibacterial soap. The only things missing were the feet, and soon enough they poured into the church by the dozen.
Many were callused and cracked from cold nights spent on the streets. Some were sore and infected. What they needed was some old-school -- we're talking centuries here -- Christian doctrine in action. So volunteers at Centenary United Methodist Church in Richmond got down on their knees and scrubbed.
The practice of foot-washing, rooted in the biblical account of what Jesus did for his disciples, has ebbed and flowed throughout church history, abandoned at various times for reasons of dogma or embarrassment. But in recent years it has grown in popularity as an act of submission, both at Easter season services and in many other settings.
Homeless shelters from Berkeley, Calif., to Atlanta to Virginia Beach have added foot-washing to their services for the poor. Men and women wash each other's feet in wedding ceremonies and marriage counseling. In Congress, a U.S. senator once washed the feet of an aide in a show of gratitude.
The action is as soul-wrenching and relevant in today's culture as ever, theologians say, especially in a place such as Washington, where a good dose of humility couldn't hurt.
Modern-day foot-washers, however, still must overcome age-old issues of awkwardness, hygiene and, occasionally, odor.
"There are a lot of things you don't think about at first, like the logistics," said Polly Chamberlain, 51, who began the foot-washing ministry in Richmond last year.
She got the idea while working in the church's soup kitchen, where she felt a huge disconnect between the volunteers and the homeless people they served.
"How can we really care about them when we don't even know them?" she asked. So she and others started washing the feet of the city's poorest every Friday before lunch, as a way to break the ice. The goal was to bond with their patrons in a profound way, show them someone cared and, by doing so, recapture the spirit of Jesus.
According to the Gospel of John, Jesus shocked his disciples at the Last Supper by getting up from the dinner table, wrapping a towel around his waist and washing their feet in a basin. "I have set you an example," he said, "that you should do as I have done for you."
Ever since, scholars have debated whether he meant it literally.
In the Catholic Church, the ritual fell out of favor until it was restored in 1955 by Pope Pius XII, who said it should be practiced on Maundy Thursday, three days before Easter. In most other Christian denominations, foot-washing was similarly sporadic and never achieved the sacred status of such rites as communion and baptism.
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As they prepared for the holy ritual, the churchgoers had all the essential items: latex gloves, nail clippers, chlorine and antibacterial soap. The only things missing were the feet, and soon enough they poured into the church by the dozen.
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Tancredo Discusses Immigration Reform Bills
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Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) was online Thursday, March 30, at 3:30 p.m. ET to discuss his position on the immigration reform bills under consideration in Congress. Tancredo is chairman of the 92-member House Immigration Reform Caucus. He has advocated a major increase in border security spending, the hiring of more Border Patrol agents, and the building of a security barrier along the entire length of the border. Tancredo supported a bill passed by the House in December that would impose stiffer fines for employers who hire illegal aliens, add new mandatory minimum sentences for immigrant smugglers, and mandate automatic detention and deportation for immigrants caught crossing the border illegally. In addition the House bill would add mandatory sentences for illegal immigrants who re-renter the country after being deported. Tancredo opposes current Senate proposals that would implement a foreign guest worker program, broaden legal immigration, and provide amnesty to illegal aliens currently in the United States.
Congressman Tom Tancredo: Hi, this is Congressman Tom Tancredo. Thanks for joining me.
Rockville, Md.: Dear Congressman, I have been in this country for over 10 years - college education and work. Each step of the way, I have maintained my legal status. I am now in Year Three of (im)patiently waiting for my green card to be processed. It is discouraging to see that the proposed Senate bill rewards "illegals" but ignores the law-abiding immigrants (at least on their way to be through the correct channels). What are your thoughts on this?
Congressman Tom Tancredo: You've hit the nail on the head. This is one of the key problems with amnesty: it rewards people who have broken the law, and makes a mockery of our legal system and those immigrants, such as yourself, who came here legally. Worst of all, it encourages more illegal behavior.
Watertown, Wis.: Congressman Tancredo, I think your idea is impractical. The reason the cost of such measures is so high is that it ignores the fact that we will not be able to stop people from getting in. If you consider that they are desperate humans, they will always be more clever than us in getting to what they need: namely, jobs. My question is this, if your ideas are enacted--which I hope isn't the case--and then proven to fail--which I believe would be inevitable--how would you know? Do you have some measure of success? And how much are you willing to pay for that success? If the amount you suggest isn't enough, is there an upper limit, which you would agree is too much?
Congressman Tom Tancredo: First off, we don't know what will work, because we've never really tried to enforce the law. Enforcing the law is the first step to getting this situation under control. But you make a good point -- most of the 12-20 million illegal aliens in the U.S. came here for a job. But take away the jobs and, I think, you can stop much of the illegal immigration. The way you do this is first come up with a system that allows employers easily to check the legal status of their employees. We actually already have this -- the basic pilot program. Our bill makes that mandatory. Second, you go after employers who hire illegals. Last year, the government sent 3 -- count that, 3 -- notices of intent to fine employers for hiring illegals. You wouldn't have to construct a police state to get the job done. Just start trying to enforce the law, and after employers see the penalties of hiring illegals, they'll get the message.
Silver Spring, Md.: Do you have a plan to replace all the illegal immigrants jobs? Who will do the jobs that this illegal immigrants are doing right now?
Congressman Tom Tancredo: President Bush likes to say that he just wants to match "willing workers with willing employers." The reason that a lot of these jobs are going unfilled is because they're not jobs that Americans are willing to do... AT THAT WAGE. Continued non-enforcement of our immigration laws will continue to drive down wages and convert jobs Americans will do today into jobs they won't do (at that price).
Greenville, N.C.: What are you feelings toward denying citizenship to children born of mothers that are here illegally?
Congressman Tom Tancredo: I'm on a bill sponsored by Rep. Nathan Deal of Georgia that would deny so-called birthright citizenship to children of illegal aliens. There's a complicated legal argument at the center of this having to do with the 14th amendment, but the short of it is that people who are illegally in this country shouldn't have the right to have their children gain the privilege of U.S. citizenship. It is a terrible public policy to reward people who come into this country by giving citizenship to their children (who then, in turn, can bring them into the U.S.).
Laurel, Md.: Can you explain why you believe that immigrants will willfully report for deportation when their work visas expire? The most workable solution is to give the people who chose some way to stay on a permanent basis.
Congressman Tom Tancredo: I think this is one of the most common mischaracterizations of what I want to do. George Will wrote in the Post a few weeks about how many buses it would take to deport all illegal aliens, and a left-wing think tank estimated the cost in the billions. Of course, no one is talking about mass roundups of 12-20 million illegal aliens. If you're an illegal alien in the U.S. and you don't have a job and if the U.S. catches you here you have no opportunity to come back into the U.S. for many years, what are you going to do? You're going to go home. That's your only choice, and that's the solution.
Bel Air, Md.: Rep. Tancredo, what do you make of all the recent protests against your bill especially those in Los Angeles, Dallas, and today in Arlington, Va.? Do the protestors have a point?
Congressman Tom Tancredo: It's hard to imagine a more helpful action that the demonstrators could do to galvanize people on my side of the issue. John Q. Citizen looks at hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens in the streets, waving foreign flags, and demanding, basically, that they be allowed to continue to break our laws, and he realizes, if he hasn't already, that there's something terribly wrong here. The best parallel that I can think of is what happened in California in the lead up to Prop 187. 70,000 people protested in downtown LA during the week before the vote and it helped propel the measure to victory. I think that's what's going on here.
McLean, Va.: As an Italian American, would you please share your own family's story of immigrating to this country?
Congressman Tom Tancredo: Thanks for the question. My grandfather came to this country legally from Italy quite a long time ago. The running joke in my family is that he aimed for Iowa, missed, and wound up in Denver. He was going to continue going west, looked at the Rockies and said "If Iowa is over THOSE, forget about it." One of the experiences growing up in a home with immigrants that shaped my views on immigration was when my grandparents told me to be American. We celebrated our Italian heritage -- and still do -- but they wanted more than anything for their children to become American and enjoy all the opportunities available in this country.
Marietta, Ga.: Are there any proposals regarding illegals who's been here for over 10 years and has been paying all taxes and contributing to the economy?
Congressman Tom Tancredo: Economists, including Harvard's George Borjas, have written on the question of what overall contribution illegal aliens make to the economy (no matter how long they've been here), and have concluded that they are a net drain to the economy. My critics like to cite the money they pay into social security and in terms of some withholding of taxes, but, first, illegal aliens are often paid under the table (so they don't pay any taxes), and, second, they cost the American taxpayer through social services such as hospital costs for the uninsured, education for their children, etc.
Lakewood, Colo.: Hi Congressman, thanks for fielding my question.
Even with a guest worker program, it seems difficult to manage such a task without FIRST securing our borders. Shouldn't we be able to control the number of immigrants (legal and illegal) in this country to protect our nations interests? Could you comment on this?
Congressman Tom Tancredo: I'm glad we have some writers from Colorado. This is the House's approach -- enforcement first. During the 1986 amnesty, we were told that, yes, we'd have more guest workers, and, yes, we'd have amnesty, but that more border security would be in place. We found out what often happens: amnesty and guest workers always are allowed, but securing our borders is rarely tried. Another reason why I'm behind the enforcement first approach is that doing otherwise is impractical. Why would any immigrant come here through the front door when the backdoor is wide open? When you come here legally as a guest worker, you're constrained by how long you can stay, you have to pay fees and fill out paperwork, etc. So without secure borders, the path of least resistance is coming here illegally.
Tucson, Ariz./Washington D.C: How would a monstrosity of a fence between two partner countries improve their relationship?
Let us think more towards regional integration rather than armed and fenced segregation.
As parties to the North American Free Trade Alliance (NAFTA), both countries should strive towards cooperation and not division.
A fence would not reflect an attitude of cooperation.
Congressman Tom Tancredo: Economic cooperation is completely different than throwing open our doors to whoever wants to come here and work. It's pretty clear that the Mexican government has an interest in keeping our borders open and the money flowing south from illegal workers back to the country. They've even hired a lobbyist in Washington to advocate amnesty! So, we have a responsibility to secure our borders, and as much as Mexico would like to help, we'd be grateful. Good fences make good neighbors.
Do you think that H.R.4437 goes too far in some areas by turning illegal immigrants into felons, making it a crime to assist illegal immigrants, and denying services? These make the bill seem too punitive and mean-spirited towards illegal immigrants. I think that the focus should be on building a fence. It is discouraging to see the Senate considering amnesties and new guest worker programs. What are the chances of the House and Senate agreeing on a bill that leaves out the more harsh measures and the measures that will make the problem worse?
Congressman Tom Tancredo: Unfortunately, this has to be our last question. Let me briefly address the issue of making illegal presence in the U.S. a felony.
The truth is Democrats voted for the felony provision, and a majority of Republicans (including me) voted against it.
Right now, illegal presence in the USA is not a crime; it is a civil infraction. The House Judiciary Committee voted to make it a felony but then was counseled that millions of new felons could clog our courts.
Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., wrote an amendment to his own bill asking that the penalty be reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor; 191 Democrats and a few Republicans voted to keep the felony penalty in the hope that it would be a poison pill to defeat the measure. After his amendment lost, Sensenbrenner promised, "When this bill gets to (House-Senate) conference, those penalties will be made workable. You can count on that."
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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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Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) discusses his position on the immigration reform bills under consideration in Congress. Tancredo has called on members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject a proposal of blanket amnesty for 13 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.
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August: Abramoff and Kidan are indicted on fraud and conspiracy charges in Florida in connection with their purchase of SunCruz.
September: Three men, including two associates of Kidan's, are indicted on murder and conspiracy charges in the killing of former SunCruz owner Boulis.
October: Former Abramoff associate David H. Safavian, head of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy and the White House Office of Management and Budget, is indicted on charges of lying to federal investigators in the corruption investigation.
November: Scanlon pleads guilty to conspiring to bribe a congressman and other public officials and agrees to pay back more than $19 million he fraudulently charged Indian tribal clients.
December: Kidan pleads guilty in the SunCruz case. Both Scanlon and Kidan are expected to testify against Abramoff and will cooperate in the investigation of at least half a dozen lawmakers including Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio).
March: A judge sentences Abramoff and Kidan to five years and 10 months in prison for their roles in the fraudulent purchase of SunCruz.
May: A former aide to Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio), Neil G. Volz, pleads guilty to conspiracy. Volz, who worked for Ney from 1995 to 2002, admitted that he conspired with Abramoff and others to commit fraud -- by giving and taking bribes -- and to violate a federal ban on lobbying within one year of his congressional employment.
June: A federal jury finds former White House aide David H. Safavian guilty of lying and obstructing justice, making him the highest-ranking government official to be convicted in the spreading Abramoff scandal.
September: Rep. Robert Ney (R-Ohio) became the first elected official face charges in the scandal when he agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to commit multiple official acts for lobbyists in exchange for campaign contributions, meals and luxury travel, sports tickets and gambling chips.
October: Rep. Ney pleads guilty and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.
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Timeline of lobbyist Jack Abramoff's career
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At Team's Send-Off, GMU Is United in Pride
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As he watched his basketball team climb onto the bus outside the Patriot Center yesterday afternoon for its trip to the NCAA national semifinals in Indianapolis, George Mason University President Alan G. Merten couldn't help but sound expansive as he sketched the future.
More seats for the arena, maybe a practice facility. But most of all, he said, "Go everywhere" and tell people that the Patriots' story is the story of his school: a scrappy entrepreneurial institution that makes the most of its opportunities.
"This university is pesky. I'm pesky," Merten said.
Most of the sentiment on the Fairfax campus yesterday focused not on the future but on the task at hand: beating the University of Florida on Saturday evening.
Several thousand students jammed the atrium of the George W. Johnson Center at midday for a send-off rally featuring Coach Jim Larranaga and a green and yellow Final Four cake big enough for its own Zip code.
For most of the student body, it was a last chance to cheer the team in person. Only 1,200 of the 3,750 tickets allotted the school by the NCAA, priced at $170 each, were earmarked for students. The rest went to season-ticket holders, staff members, players, coaches and their families.
From the stage, beneath a giant video screen where a tape of Sunday's win over the University of Connecticut has been running this week as continuously as an Adam Sandler movie on cable TV, Larranaga said: "I have one question. Why aren't y'all in class?"
Dressed in a gray and white jogging suit, the coach drew roars of approval with what are becoming signature bits, such as his barely recognizable rendition of the "Mission: Impossible" theme and the re-creation of his locker room talk before the Connecticut game, in which he said the team's conference, the CAA (Colonial Athletic Association), would for one day be "the Connecticut Assassins Association."
Most important, he said, was what has happened on campus over the last few weeks.
"We are all members of a very large family called George Mason University," Larranaga said.
Many in the audience expressed similar feelings. Sook Wang, 23, a communications and journalism major from Seoul, said she paid little attention to the basketball team until this spring. Yesterday, perched on a chair to get a better view of the rally from the atrium's second level, she said that had changed. She'll be at the Saturday evening watch party that will be held at the Johnson Center.
"I think it's brought together Mason students," she said.
"The school needed it and deserved it," said Peggy Stull, a 1975 graduate now pursuing a master's degree in educational psychology. "The whole philosophy that you can make it happen is the philosophy of the university."
Even with the team's departure, the campus will remain in the limelight. ABC's "Good Morning America" is scheduled to broadcast from George Mason tomorrow. Maya Witten, 22, a biology major who commutes from her home in Springfield, said she was planning to get up at 5 a.m. to arrive in time to cheer for the school on network television.
"It's once in a lifetime," she said.
And no run-up to a big game would be complete without the ritual "friendly wager" of local products between elected officials who represent the competing schools. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) announced yesterday that he will put up a collection of Mars candies (the candymaker is based in McLean) against a case of Gatorade from Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.).
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Thousands of students jam the Johnson Center at the epicenter of campus Wednesday for a raucus pep rally before the team took off for the Final Four.
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A Party Waiting to Pounce
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If you're a Democrat, life is good right now. The Republicans are mired in Iraq and domestic political difficulties. The White House is rearranging the deck chairs. For now, Democrats can sit back and watch the GOP self-destruct: "They're on fire," says one party strategist. "Don't say anything. Let them destroy themselves."
The experience of being out of power and being the targets of Karl Rove's relentless attacks has made the Democrats a tougher and more cynical party. They think more about winning than about governing. Some strategists even see a virtue in the party's lack of a clear agenda or leader -- since it denies the Republicans easy targets. This strategy may not serve the country in the long run, but for angry Democrats this year, there is only the short run -- taking back control of Congress in the midterms and the White House in 2008.
Today it's the Bush administration that's struggling with its image and credibility. Yesterday's announcement that OMB Director Josh Bolten will replace Andrew Card as White House chief of staff drew tart comments from Democrats. "They've reached all the way across the driveway for new blood," says John Podesta, who became Bill Clinton's chief of staff in 1998, during a similar period of disarray. "When you're in a deep hole, you have to do more than that."
If the Democrats have a problem, it's what I would call the "Clinton blockage." As of today Sen. Hillary Clinton is the clear front-runner for the 2008 presidential nomination. Clinton "hovers over the presidential field like the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor," writes political analyst Walter Shapiro this week in the online magazine Salon. The problem is that Clinton is casting such a big shadow that it blocks out the sunlight in which other candidates might grow.
Clinton is building her own version of the Democratic National Committee, outside the control of accident-prone DNC Chairman Howard Dean. She has the best financial machine in American politics, and her fundraisers are signaling some big donors that the Clintons will be unhappy if they give to Hillary's rivals. Meanwhile, former White House aide Harold Ickes is creating a powerful database for grass-roots fundraising though his Data Warehouse project, and Podesta is building a solid policy-planning operation at his Center for American Progress.
Clinton's timetable is also a problem. Running for reelection to the Senate from New York this year, she has a strategy of campaigning as if she cares more about Utica and Schenectady than Washington. That's understandable, but it leaves the Democrats in a pickle. Clinton doesn't want to speak for the party right now, but she doesn't want anyone else to take center stage -- especially not her husband.
That is the most unfortunate blockage caused by Hillary Clinton's presidential ambitions. Her undeclared candidacy denies her party and the country the full benefit of Bill Clinton's leadership. Paradoxically, the Republicans are making better use of the former president than are the Democrats. It's endearing to see him pal around with former president George H.W. Bush and his son, but it blunts Bill Clinton's impact.
Democratic leaders in Congress are gathering the ammunition to win back the House and Senate this year. They have crafted an upbeat, patriotic (and also somewhat vapid) slogan: "America Can Do Better." And they are beginning to roll out the pieces of a low-key 2006 version of Newt Gingrich's "Contract With America," which helped the GOP capture the House in 1994. The first installment, on "Honest Leadership," was presented in January; the second, on "Real Security," is this week. Three more segments are planned, on "Economic and Retirement Security," "Affordable Health Care for All" and "Educational Excellence."
The Democrats think they can turn the tables this year because of GOP mistakes. A top aide to Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid says the party has been studying the formula for victory proposed in 2004 by Bush media adviser Mark McKinnon: "Who do you like? Who do you trust? Who's on your side?" This year, says the aide, that calculus plays for the Democrats. Even on their weak issue of national security, they have closed a 30-point gap in public trust to roughly four or five points, according to some polls. The Democratic message is: "The Republicans have gone too far. They're not on your side. They're not competent to lead."
The 2008 election is still a long way off -- too long, in terms of America's need for the clarity and change a new president could offer the country. Meanwhile, America is struggling with big problems, from Iraq to immigration. Will Democrats help the Bush administration find solutions? In the age of Karl Rove, are you kidding?
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The Democrats have a goal: taking back control of Congress in the midterms and the White House in 2008. Defining a clear agenda and leader are the first steps.
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In Closing, Moussaoui Trial Rests On His Lies
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Zacarias Moussaoui is an arrogant, hate-filled, wannabe terrorist who lied in court about his involvement in the Sept. 11, 2001, plot because he is incapable of telling the truth, jurors were told during closing arguments yesterday at his death penalty trial.
And that was Moussaoui's attorney talking.
Moussaoui is, indeed, a liar who misled the FBI when he was arrested a month before Sept. 11, 2001, prosecutors asserted -- until he told the truth when he testified that he planned to crash a hijacked airplane into the White House on that day of terror.
The role reversals have almost become routine in the death penalty trial of Moussaoui, 37, the only person convicted in the United States in connection with Sept. 11. The jury began deliberating late yesterday after both sides finished closing arguments. Jurors will consider whether Moussaoui is eligible for the death penalty, then reconvene for a second phase of the trial if they decide he is.
Moussaoui's attorneys spent much of their closing trying to undo the damage their client did to his case with his testimony Monday, when he calmly told jurors that he wanted to kill all Americans, starting with a White House attack that was to include "shoe bomber" Richard Reid.
"Mr. Moussaoui displayed his absolute contempt for every one of us,'' defense attorney Edward B. MacMahon Jr. said at the outset. Speaking directly to the 17-member jury, including five alternates, he said: "He believes that all of you sitting in that box, just because you are Americans, that you want to kill him."
MacMahon said Moussaoui's version of his Sept. 11 role was "a tall tale, a whopper even for a convicted felon, an al-Qaeda member who believes it's his obligation to lie to you." He said that the government's massive investigation never showed Moussaoui was involved and that Moussaoui had no contact with the 19 hijackers who toppled the World Trade Center, damaged the Pentagon and crashed a plane into a field in Pennsylvania.
Pointing to statements by top al-Qaeda leaders that disputed Moussaoui's account, MacMahon said his client "was trying to write a role for himself into history when the truth is, he was an al-Qaeda hanger-on and a nuisance to everybody."
Prosecutors might have gained the upper hand in the case with Moussaoui's testimony, especially when he admitted to a key government argument for his execution: that he lied to the FBI when he was arrested to allow the plot to go forward.
Yet prosecutors had to walk a delicate line yesterday. Their entire case that Moussaoui is eligible for the death penalty is based on how, they say, the Sept. 11 attacks could have been prevented had he told the truth. And when Moussaoui pleaded guilty last year to conspiring with al-Qaeda, he told a different story, saying that his White House assault was to be part of a second wave of attacks.
As they summed up their case, prosecutors said the Moussaoui who appeared on the witness stand Monday was telling the truth, and they quoted extensively from his testimony. "Zacarias Moussaoui came to this country to kill as many Americans as he could," Assistant U.S. Attorney David Raskin said as he began his closing. "In this trial, you have learned from the defendant himself that that is exactly what he did.''
Raskin said Moussaoui's version of events was backed up by other evidence showing his activities in August 2001 paralleled those of the hijackers. Moussaoui received about $14,000 from al-Qaeda in early August, bought two of the same type of short-blade knives the hijackers used and was rushing to complete his training on a 747 simulator.
Legally, prosecutors argued, Moussaoui's precise role is irrelevant because his lies still make him eligible for the death penalty. "Whether he was part of the first wave, the second wave or the 20th wave, he still had the same evidence in his head," Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Novak said in his rebuttal.
The closing arguments came after a series of unusual developments in a case already known for them. A day after Moussaoui's testimony, prosecutors introduced evidence that he had met with them on the eve of the trial and offered to testify for them and against himself, in exchange for better jail conditions before his execution. Moussaoui withdrew the offer when he realized he had a constitutional right to testify on his behalf, despite his attorneys' objections.
Moussaoui's actions and history of courtroom outbursts have long raised questions about his mental state. When he tried to fire his attorneys and represent himself in 2002, he was evaluated by a court-appointed psychiatrist. U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema found him mentally competent and allowed him to represent himself, though she later revoked that right after Moussaoui filed blistering handwritten motions from jail.
Brinkema also allowed Moussaoui to enter a guilty plea last year, after his attorneys argued he was mentally incompetent to make it. When he initially notified the government that he intended to plead guilty, Moussaoui said he was willing to accept the possibility of a death sentence, sources familiar with the case have said.
Richard Moran, a professor of sociology and criminology at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, said that although Moussaoui's recent actions "probably seal his fate with the jury," his insistence on testifying is rational.
"He's asserting his right to be taken seriously and offer an explanation for his actions,'' Moran said. "He doesn't want to be dismissed as a kind of two-bit troublemaker whose actions can only be explained by mental instability or illness."
Asked whether he thought Moussaoui wanted to die, Moran, who has testified in more than two dozen death penalty hearings, said: "I would think he prefers death and the attention and martyr status he might achieve to rotting in a cell for the rest of his life."
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Get Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland and national news. Get the latest/breaking news, featuring national security, science and courts. Read news headlines from the nation and from The Washington Post. Visit www.washingtonpost.com/nation today.
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Md. Approves Fund To Support Medical Stem Cell Research
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Maryland will become one of four states that have agreed to fund stem cell research, following final passage yesterday of legislation in the House of Delegates and a pledge from Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) to sign it, despite misgivings by most lawmakers in his party.
With Ehrlich's signature, the state will offer as much as $15 million in grants in the coming year to university and private-sector researchers seeking treatments for debilitating conditions through work on stem cells, including those derived from human embryos.
In the wake of a 2001 executive order by President Bush limiting federal support for embryonic research, debate over funding the controversial science has been pushed down to statehouses across the country.
"We're going to sign it," Ehrlich said of the bill that passed the House 90 to 48 and had already won approval in the Senate. "It furthers our reputation nationally and internationally. . . . It helps us retain our best and brightest here."
Much of the money, to be awarded by a state commission, is expected to flow to researchers at Johns Hopkins University and University of Maryland campuses, as well as to a few companies in Maryland's biotech sector conducting research on adult stem cells. The adult cells, while not considered as promising for research, are less controversial because collecting them does not require the destruction of an embryo.
Julie Coons, president of the Tech Council of Maryland, said she also sees potential for the legislation to foster start-up companies, as long as future governors and lawmakers continue to provide financial support.
"We have made a major step forward in helping the industry but also in sending a message . . . that we are a player in this field," Coons said.
In the wake of Bush's order, New Jersey was the first state to appropriate money for embryonic stem cell research. Californians then voted to spend $3 billion on the research over 10 years, though that money has been held up by lawsuits. And grant money will soon be available in Connecticut, where lawmakers created a research fund last year.
The issue has been one of the most emotional and most divisive taken up by the Maryland General Assembly this year, with opponents arguing that work on embryonic cells is tantamount to abortion. Supporters have spoken of the promise the research holds for such conditions as Parkinson's disease and juvenile diabetes.
Several advocates for the bill, some of them with those conditions, unfurled a banner in the House gallery that read, "Thank you for hope!" after the vote.
A tearful celebration ensued on the State House steps, where advocates were joined by sponsors of the legislation.
"We've done the right thing for our state, not just for people here today but for others who are suffering," said Del. Samuel I. Rosenberg (D-Baltimore), author of a more expansive bill passed by the House earlier that mandated $25 million a year for embryonic stem cell research.
The bill that passed yesterday, which originated in the Senate, incorporated several compromises, including leaving the level of funding to future governors.
Opponents in the House offered less impassioned arguments yesterday than in previous debate, recognizing they had no realistic chance of stopping the bill.
House Minority Whip Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Calvert) stressed that he and other opponents support adult stem cell research, which is closer to yielding therapies. It is work on embryonic cells that they oppose.
"Please don't misinterpret these votes," O'Donnell said. "They're a matter of conscience."
Only four of the chamber's 43 Republicans voted for the bill. In the Senate, only one of the 13 GOP members supported it.
Ehrlich, in an interview, said he was comfortable signing the bill despite the lack of support from his caucus, given his track record supporting stem cell research reaching back to his days in Congress.
"I have my views, and those views are part of my record, part of my belief system," he said.
Similar legislation died on the final day of the legislative session last year under the threat of a filibuster on the Senate floor. Ehrlich remained largely silent on the issue then.
At the outset of this session, the governor sought to craft a middle ground. He included $20 million in his budget proposal for stem cell research but insisted grants be available for work on adult stem cells, if scientists found it promising.
Lawmakers sponsoring the bill initially balked, arguing that federal funding is plentiful for work on adult stem cells. But the bill was heavily amended to make it palatable to the more socially conservative Senate.
"It's evolved into . . . what we envisioned," Ehrlich said.
His posture on the bill remained unclear until yesterday because he had said repeatedly that he did not believe legislation was necessary to fund the science. Ehrlich suggested that his budget proposal was sufficient, but lawmakers insisted on establishing guidelines in the law for awarding the grants.
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Maryland will become one of four states that have agreed to fund stem cell research, following final passage yesterday of legislation in the House of Delegates and a pledge from Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) to sign it, despite misgivings by most lawmakers in his party.
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Control Of 11 Schools Seized
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BALTIMORE, March 29 -- The Maryland Board of Education voted Wednesday to place 11 Baltimore public schools under independent management in a shake-up of this city's school system that could be a harbinger for struggling schools in Prince George's County, the District and elsewhere.
The state intervention provoked outrage from an array of Baltimore officials, and the president of the city's school board indicated the city may fight the action in court.
But state Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick cited authority under state and federal law to justify one of the most sweeping state interventions in local school affairs in the country since No Child Left Behind was enacted in 2002.
"What Maryland is doing will be a precursor to what a number of other states will do," said Jack Jennings of the Center on Education Policy in Washington, which tracks the federal law.
The state board's vote provides one answer to a question that looms larger every year under a federal law that requires nearly all students to move steadily toward proficiency in reading and mathematics by 2014: What should be done with schools that keep missing academic targets year after year?
Many schools in Prince George's and the District fit that profile.
In Baltimore, 54 schools are at the last stage of a series of enforcement sanctions for failing to make adequate progress under No Child Left Behind. Only a few have hopes of escaping those sanctions this year. Some have spent a decade or longer on the state's targeted list of schools that need improvement.
For 11 middle and high schools, state officials declared a crisis demanding immediate action. The board voted 11 to 0 to order the Baltimore school system to convert seven low-performing middle schools to independently operated charter schools or seek private contractors to run them. It voted 10 to 1 for the state to seize control of four high schools and find independent management for them, with board Vice President Dunbar Brooks dissenting.
"We're talking about 10,000 students," Grasmick told the state board. "Ten thousand students that are in schools that are persistently low-performing. . . . We have an obligation under the law and ethically to address that situation on behalf of the children."
The board also ordered the state to revise key parts of its secondary school curriculum and initiate a personnel review that could lead to dismissal of senior officers.
City schools chief Bonnie S. Copeland said she was disappointed by the state's action because the 85,000-student school system already is implementing measures to improve secondary schools, including an initiative to break up large high schools to form smaller learning communities.
The chairman of the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, Brian D. Morris, accused the state of seeking to usurp local control without consulting the city. "They have not bothered to sit down with their partners," Morris said.
Neither Morris nor Copeland indicated the city school system would comply with the state's orders. "We're going to explore every option," Morris said. "It's not outside the realm of possibility that we will be fighting this out in court."
Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, also pledged to fight the intervention, telling reporters that the state is trying to "kick our kids around like a political football."
But Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) said "all extraordinary means" are justified to help improve "a system that is this dysfunctional."
If Baltimore is a notable arena of combat over No Child Left Behind, Prince George's could be next. The county system, with 133,000 students, is listed in need of improvement by the state and will be forced to take "corrective action" if it misses this year's testing targets. Only Baltimore is now at that stage in Maryland.
Incoming Prince George's schools chief John E. Deasy called the Baltimore developments "enormously significant." He added: "The state is dead serious about stopping the decline of low-performing schools. That only intensifies the work that lies ahead of us."
Staff writer John Wagner contributed to this report.
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BALTIMORE, March 29 -- The Maryland Board of Education voted Wednesday to place 11 Baltimore public schools under independent management in a shake-up of this city's school system that could be a harbinger for struggling schools in Prince George's County, the District and elsewhere.
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'The Bedford Diaries': Censor Deprivation
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Which version of "The Bedford Diaries" do you plan to watch -- or to miss? Thanks to the FCC and its quixotic censorship bender, two are available. One premieres tonight on the WB. The other is already streaming into homes via the Internet -- a "webisode" that is safe, for now, from the government.
The difference between the two versions amounts to barely two minutes of footage. Fearful of possible intrusions by the Bush administration's busybody FCC and of the outrageous fines that go with them, the WB reportedly ordered changes in the show, and the producers (who include Barry Levinson) complied.
Because the series is about college students enrolled in a class about "Sexual Behavior and the Human Condition," it does seem feasible that the subject of sex might come up -- and because this is television, it might even be illustrated. "Ever since Adam and Eve first saw each other naked in the Garden of Eden," a professor lectures, "sex has been an intrinsic part of our humanity."
Until George W. Bush. The commission recently slapped CBS with a $3.6 million fine for a December 2004 episode of the popular crime drama "Without a Trace." The episode dealt with teenagers and sex and, according to reports, included a scene that intimated the teenagers were engaged in group sex and other variations on the norm. There was no nudity, but the fine was levied nevertheless.
You'd have to be awfully naive not to suspect that these capricious fines aren't politically motivated, and that the reason CBS suffered far more condemnation than any other network has something to do with a grievance held by members of the administration or the White House itself.
Whatever the motivation, the WB is taking no chances. A montage early in the premiere of "Bedford Diaries" that showed students engaged in sexual activity has been trimmed considerably. Among the shots removed: one brief peek at girl-on-girl kissing, and a shot in which a young woman reaches down into her jeans, apparently for the purpose of pleasuring herself. No pleasuring is actually shown.
As part of their homework, students are given video cameras with which to record thoughts and reflections about their sexual histories and attitudes. Cut from the final version airing tonight is a young woman's recollection that her sexual past includes "oral, mostly giving, mostly guys." But those words are spoken in the version making its way around the Web. And a trend is developing: to see the uncensored version of a TV show, music video or movie, and escape the influence of the FCC, a viewer must repair to the Internet and download the supposedly steamy scenes.
The FCC has not censored "The Bedford Diaries." It doesn't operate like the industry-operated Motion Picture Association of America's code authority, which offers "suggestions" for cuts in films, often at the script level, so producers can avoid an R or NC-17 rating -- scars of shame that limit films to adult audiences and thus limit the box-office take, as well.
But unquestionably, the FCC's new activism -- threatening and levying enormous fines even for unscripted moments on live shows, such Janet Jackson's infamous peekaboo at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show -- has had the proverbial chilling effect on networks and producers.
The uncensored version of "The Bedford Diaries" is neither shocking nor salacious. But the WB -- soon to merge with UPN and be known as the CW Television Network -- didn't want to take chances. A handful of complaints can spur an FCC investigation, or a member of the commission can propose punitive action essentially on a whim.
As far as the quality of "The Bedford Diaries," it's not exactly lacerating drama. The student characters seem weak and inauthentic, and many of the actors look as though they're going through college for the third or fourth time. The dialogue includes such venerable perennials as (boy to girl) "God, you're attractive when you're angry," plus occasional servings of politically correct corn -- as when a young woman, angered by a cop's attempt to give her a ticket, loudly charges him with "gender and sexual-orientation profiling." Merciful heavens!
One young woman on campus has a reputation with a capital R, but not because of sexual promiscuity. No, she's renowned for having attempted suicide by leaping from the roof of a campus building and surviving. A young man who meets her and develops a quick crush talks about the sexiness of attempted suicide in his video diary and says, "There is something very hot about that kind of crazy." The girl herself, Natalie (Corri English), notes that after surviving a suicide, "your body talks to you in a whole new way."
That the students in the class -- actually a seminar -- are given video cameras for their diaries brings to mind "TV 101," a drama series about video-hip high school kids; it aired briefly on CBS in 1988 and seemed more credible, if not more compelling, than "Bedford Diaries."
The cast includes smug Milo Ventimiglia as Richard Thorne III, editor of the campus newspaper and Natalie's date the night before she jumped off the roof; Ernest Waddell as Lee Hemingway, one of the few African Americans at the college, and the chosen sexual prey of randy Zoe Lopez (Victoria Cartagena).
Among those serving on the faculty are Audra McDonald, a great actress who is too big for her skimpy role as a political-science teacher, and the often-irritating Matthew Modine as the teacher who runs the sex seminar. Also worth mentioning are Pepper Binkley as April Jensen and Jolly Abraham as Tasha Bettencourt. They're worth mentioning because their names are so darn cute.
It's possible, of course, that the WB has trumped up its own stir about possible fines and post-broadcast censorship for "Bedford Diaries" premiere to generate publicity and make the FCC look ridiculous. The publicity will do no harm, and the FCC looks ridiculous already. Ridiculous -- but dangerous.
The Bedford Diaries (one hour) debuts tonight at 9 on Channel 50.
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Which version of "The Bedford Diaries" do you plan to watch -- or to miss? Thanks to the FCC and its quixotic censorship bender, two are available. One premieres tonight on the WB. The other is already streaming into homes via the Internet -- a "webisode" that is safe, for now, from the government.
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Dirda on Books
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Each week Dirda's name appears -- in unmistakably big letters -- on page 15 of The Post's Book World section. If he's not reviewing a hefty literary biography or an ambitious new novel, he's likely to be turning out one of his idiosyncratic essays or rediscovering some minor Victorian classic. Although he earned a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Cornell, Dirda has somehow managed to retain a myopic 12-year-old's passion for reading. Heparticularly enjoys comic novels, intellectual history, locked-room mysteries, innovative fiction of all sorts.
These days, Dirda says he still spends inordinate amounts of time mourning his lost youth, listening to music (Glenn Gould, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall, The Tallis Scholars), and daydreaming ("my only real hobby"). He claims that the happiest hours of his week are spent sitting in front of a computer, working. His most recent books include "Readings: Essays and Literary Entertainments" (Indiana hardcover, 2000; Norton paperback, 2003) and his self-portrait of the reader as a young man, "An Open Book: Coming of Age in the Heartland" (Norton, 2003). In the fall of 2004 Norton will bring out a new collection of his essays and reviews. He is currently working on several other book projects, all shrouded in themost complete secrecy.
Dirda joined The Post in 1978, having grown up in the working-class steel town of Lorain, Ohio and graduated with highest honors in English from Oberlin College. His favorite writers are Stendhal, Chekhov, Jane Austen, Montaigne, Evelyn Waugh, T.S. Eliot, Nabokov, John Dickson Carr, Joseph Mitchell, P.G. Wodehouse and Jack Vance. He thinks the greatest novel of all time is either Murasaki Shikubu's "The Tale of Genji" or Proust's "A la recherche du temps perdu." In a just world he would own Watteau's painting "The Embarkation for Cythera." He is a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, The Ghost Story Society, and The Wodehouse Society. He enjoys teaching and was once a visiting professor in the Honors College at the University of Central Florida, which he misses to this day.
Michael Dirda: Welcome to Dirda on Books! Spring has arrived in Washington--the skies are blue, the temperature is ideal for a light jacket, the wonder dog Seamus is lazing in the sunshine, and all's right with the world. Well, at this particular minute at least, on this corner in Silver Spring.
I've spent the morning writing a review--now, there's some real news--and this afternoon will be prepping for a talk I need to give tomorrow night. In the meantime, No 2 son--home from Oberlin College--is asleep at 2 in the afternoon, and my plan to take him to lunch just a memory. But we're here together and so let's talk about books.
Alton Bay, NH: It's the season when I feel compelled to re-read Eleanor Perrnyi's classic and inspiring book, Green Thoughts: A Writer in the Garden. She's practical, experienced, opinionated, and has an artist's sensibility.
While I suspect nothing can replace it in my affections, I'm open to finding similar works of garden literature, preferably ones by writers or artists or creative types.
Any suggestions from you or anyone else?
Michael Dirda: Surely, you know the work of my late colleague, the inimitable Henry Mitchell. See The Essential Earthman and its two companion volumes.
The English seem to specialize in literary gardening books--Gertrude Jekyll, for instance, or Vita Sackville-West or the historian Robin Lane Fox. The late Katherine White, wife to E.B. White, used to do an annual New Yorker essay about browsing through seed catalogues--I think some of these may habe been collected. But no doubt the more ardent gardeners among us will have other suggestions.
Washington Navy Yard, DC: What's up with the revised "All the King's Men"? I was in a bookstore the other day and was going to pick up a copy of one of my favorite books for rereading, after about ten years time. I was shocked to find that the book I had always loved and respected was not the real thing. Or was it? Can you shed any light here? Should I scrap the old tried and true text for the "new" one, purportedly the one Rob't Penn Warren wanted? Is there anything to such a Director's Cut in the world of books?
Michael Dirda: Don't throw out your old King's Men. The Faulkner scholar Noel Polk, an expert in textual history, discovered the original manuscript of All the King's Men and it is this that you've run across. It was published three or four years ago. Certainly the book is worth reading in this format, and Polk makes his case in an introduction. Yet this supposes two things: 1) that the editing given the novel at Harcourt weakened the book, and 2) that this is Warren's preferred text. Both these are open to doubt. Editing, no matter how hard an author sometimes resists it (and I should know), often improves a book. But more importantly: Warren brought out King's Men in 1948, and it won a Pulitzer. "Red" lived for another 40 years, but he never tried to have the text restored to his original version. Surely, with his clout he could have done so had he wished.
Anonymous: Hey Michael -- at least your son isn't in Ft. Lauderdale with the "Girls Gone Wild" crowd!
What's your take on books on tape. I've been giving them a spin during my long commute. It's odd though, I either find myself entranced by the reader, or annoyed, at the expense of my own reading experience, I guess.
Michael Dirda: What do you mean? I have three sons--and the eldest, who is a senior in college, just got back from Key West and Miami, where he says he had a good time. His mother and I don't inquire beyond that.
From the tone of your message are you suggesting there's something wrong with "Girls Gone Wild"? I am not dead yet.
Oklahoma: Thanks so much for these chats. My list of books to read grows each week.
Do you know of a biography on Joseph Mitchell?
Michael Dirda: Not that I'm aware of. There's bits of autobiography scattered through Up in the Old Hotel and there have been pieces written about him and his work, but nothing in the way of a book-length biography.
New York, NY: The filmmaker Derek Jarman, before he died of AIDS in 1994, published many of his diaries which contain beautiful descriptions of his garden, and the history of the plants he chose to put there.
Nashville, Tenn: Thomas Mann often refers to Goethe and Schiller as the classical core of German literature, just as Proust refers to Racine and Moliere and Madame de Sevigne. Yet the writers of the American Renaissance, however historically and academically important they remain, do not seem to function in the same way in our own literary economy. Do you think we really have authors that serve other American writers as our own classics, on the German and French model? My sense is that we don't, and that this absence accounts for some part of the fragmented state of our literary life, but also for some part of its liveliness. If you have any thoughts, or writings that already address this, I would be interested.
Michael Dirda: You may well be on to something here. There is a tradition of classicism, almost of Academic Classicism, in Europe that you don't find in Britain and America. We've never had an Academie to regulate our language, for instance.
That said, one could argue that our classical period only arrived with the 1920s--and that figures like Eliot, Pound, Fitzgerald and Faulkner make up the classic canon of American lit.
Certainly, though, the most fundamentally American books are The Scarlet Letter, Walden, Leaves of Grass, Moby-Dick and Huckleberry Finn--all from the 19th century.
Takoma Park, Md: Katherine White published many gardening essays in a book called Onward and Upward in the Garden or some such.
People who like that kind of thing say it is the kind of thing they like.
Michael Dirda: Oh yes, the title now comes back to me. I should have remembered. I do like certain kinds of writing about nature--Thoreau, Gilbert White, Darwin on the Beagle--but tend not to turn to the more modern authors. But Henry Mitchell possessed such a unique voice, grouchy and kindly and learned.Of course, I knew him too. And I can remember reading one of Katharine White's pieces in the New Yorker and feeling so warn and cozy and wanting to go right out and plant a serious garden like hers. But my own huge plot of land looks more like a combination of suburban crabgrass, overgrown bramble, and an abandoned playground. How I envy the raised beds and beautiful vegetables of a dear friend of mine!
Houston, Tex: My question has to do with keeping up with the literary output. I recently skimmed an issue of a southern-oriented literary journal. It contained an article on "best young southern writers" or some such hyperbole. It caused minor distress because I had heard of precisely none of the featured writers. My question is: how do you decide whether a new or relatively new writer is worth reading? Do you give them 15 years and only read them if they are still being favorably received? Will you read an unknown if he or she is suggested by someone whose opinion you particularly value?
Michael Dirda: Depends on your age, ie the age of the reader. If you're young, you should read your contemporaries, sampling anything and everything that comes down the pike. As you grow older, you might want to wait a bit, and see who survives to publish a good second or third book. IN both cases, though, you can gain some sense of whether a writer is your kind of writer by checking out the reviews, especially the quotations within them.
Tampa, Fla: Sorry, I seem to have distracted with the "Girls" comment (understandable).
So, what's your feeling about books on tape? Do you listen to them? I've been giving them a spin during my long commute. It's odd though, I either find myself entranced by the reader/performer, or annoyed -- at the expense of my own reading experience, I guess.
Michael Dirda: The reader on a tape makes all the difference. Most are at least enjoyable to listen to, a few an irritation or boring, and some just out of this world wonderful. I'm very fond of audiotapes, from The Teaching Company's lectures on music, philosophy and literature to children's classics to poets reading their own work. Nothing makes a long car journey more endurable.
Washington, DC: Which author, in your opinion, has the best ear for the music of language?
Michael Dirda: Gee, let's narrow this to living authors, and novelists in particular. I'd say William Gass, John Updike, James Salter, John Crowley, Marilynne Robinson, and Annie Proulx.
Silver Spring, Md: Perhaps not exactly along the same lines as the Green books mentioned... but one of my favorite books: The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. He uses four plants (paired with four desires) and our evolving relationships to them to explore human nature. It combines stimulating intellectual reflection with skillful writing--a combination you wouldn't think to be so rare.
What other books boast this combination?
Michael Dirda: I hope that last is a rhetorical question because I don't know the answer. AT least if you're thinking about plants and prose.
There are lots of writers who can be intellectual and skillful as prose stylists--think of Loren Eisley, for instance.
Washington, DC : Good Afternoon Mr. Dirda - I had an idea I might like to read Iris Murdoch and chose to start with "The Sea, The Sea." I wasn't impressed. Did I start with the wrong title? Should I give her another try? Thank you.
Michael Dirda: That's Iris at her slightly more ponderous, even though the novel won a Booker. You might want to try again, perhaps the short A Severed Head or perhaps A Word Child.
Eastern Market, Washington, DC: Michael,
Just finished "Brokeback Mountain," the original short story by Annie Proulx. I was amazed at how much the movie makers kept to the source material and how much of the actual dialogue was in the Oscar winner. I wonder how editing/directorial decisions such as that are made...did Larry McMurtry, for instance, have much to do besides add a couple of character-fleshing scenes and contextualize certain swatches of dialogue? Was Proulx adament on fidelity? Just curious.
Michael Dirda: I don't know the answer to any of these questions. I have read that McMurtry recognized the novella as a masterpiece, and so he may have simply decided to retain as much of it as he could. THink of John Huston's Maltese Falcon, which sometimes seems to shoot directly from the novel and use its dialogue.
Tysons Corner, Va: You and many others wrote negative reviews of Tom Wolfe's "I Am Charlotte Simmons." I noticed that the new Atlantic Monthly has a positive, albeit late, review of the book, from Mark Bowden. I don't know what your opinion of Bowden as a writer might be, but have you read his review, and if so, did it affect your feelings towar the novel? Are there other recent novels you've dismissed at first, only to warm to after a positive review challenged your initial assessment?
Michael Dirda: I don't tend to read reviews of books I"ve written about. I've read the book, why read the review? It's highly unlikely that Mark Bowden would change my mind about Charlotte Simmons. Mabye Isaiah Berlin would, or Edmund Wilson. Wolfe is an amazing prose stylist, but his book has basically no sympathy for his characters. He is a heavy-handed satirist without sympathy for the young. I could be this way myself--its a development that grows on you past 50 or so--but do my best to recognize that this is foolish old fogeyism. But there's no need to rewrite my review--qutie a witty one as I recall.
Lenexa, Kan.: Re "Oklahoma" looking for a biography of Joseph Mitchell, Mark Singer gave extensive treatment to Mitchell as one of his nine profiles in last year's "Character Studies." In it he writes of Mitchell: "In writing about small folks--the stewbums and the dead-enders, the desperate pilgrims and the Bowery savants--Mitchell found a way to write about us all." Until Mitchell's Boswell turns up, maybe that and other historical features on the "New Yorker" would be the best place to turn.
Herndon Va: On the subject of classics...
You leave dear Mr. Cooper off your list... it seems to me no one reads him anymore...
Why not, I can't imagine...His Spy is a great book dealing with all the issues of covert military activity and mock trial that have been in the news recently in the context of the Iraq war...
His Red Rover is a great story of the homosexual love affair between Captain Heidegger and his cabin boy Roderick...
His Last of the Mohicans is a brilliant study of Racism...
His Crater correctly diagnoses the corruption of American society by its irrepressible merchantilism, in the dramatic setting of an island that arises, and then subsides again, Atlantis-like, into the sea...
He wrote a great study of environmental issues, arguing against mass logging, fishing, birding... and arguing that human life is a greater treasure than gold...
Time and again he seems to have written, in the founding context, just what we need to read in our floundering one...
Why no special Book World spread on him?
Michael Dirda: Well, to answer the last question first: I don't work as an editor at Book World any more.
I suspect that Cooper, whatever his merits, was done in by Mr. Mark Twain in his essay about the writer and his literary faults.
Truth be told, apart from the Classics Comic of Last of the Mohicans, I've never read any Cooper. ON the other hand, I once spent a fair amount of time in Cooperstown and even made a raft that I floated around on "Glimmerglass" lake.
Washington, DC: For Henry Mitchell fans, there is also the collection Any Day, which includes samples of his non-gardening column. I remember looking forward to it each Friday. He was one of those few who cimbined wisdom, dignity, and humor in equal amounts.
Michael Dirda: Yes, all these books were first published by Indiana University Press. They are worth seeking out.
The Teaching Company: Mr. Dirda, I second your recommendation wholeheartedly. I've done several of these courses, which are recorded by top professors in their fields, and they are always excellent. I especially recommend the Classics of American Literature Course tauhgt by Arnold Weinstein of Brown.
These courses have helped me to give myself the literary education I missed out on in college. The Teaching Company is a great resource for people who believe that education is a life-long pursuit. I know I sound like a company shill, but I am not, just a VERY satisfied customer.
Finally, note that many of their courses are available to borrow from the Montgomery County Public Library system.
Michael Dirda: Yes, I agree. I'm particularly fond of the music history tapes given by, I think, Robert Greenberg.
Washington, D.C.: John Banville was on Diane Rehm today. Excellent interview. Beyond "The Sea", do you have one ot two books of his you would recommend?
Michael Dirda: The Book of Evidence.
Any thoughts on the value of a signed (not inscribed) first edition of Northwest Passage by Kenneth Roberts, published in 1937. 2 volumes, good condition. Any good sites to recommend asking?
Michael Dirda: I'd think it would be worth a bit, but couldn't say how much. If you look online at abebooks or addall, you should be able to find other firsts for sale. To many, Roberts remains the great historical novelist of American history, and certainly Northwest Passage is among his two or three best books, the others being ARundel and Rabble in Arms.
College Park, Md: Thomas Kunkel, dean of the University of Maryland's journalism school and author of the Harold Ross biography "Genius In Disguise," has been working for several years on a biography of Joseph Mitchell. A biography unauthorized by the writer's estate, "Joseph Mitchell: Pilgrim in Manhattan," by Raymond Rundus of the University of North Carolina-Pembroke, was announced for publication by Xlibris in 2002 but did not appear; instead, Rundus published a shorter book, "Joseph Mitchell: A Reader's and Writer's Guide" with iUniverse in 2003, available through Amazon.
Michael Dirda: Thanks. Now that you mention this, I remember having a drink--at the Algonquin, of course--with his companion of his later years, who mentioned that Kunkel was working on a biography. She also gave me a wonderful high quality reproduction of Hirschfeld's caricature of Mitchell. He is one of my favorite writers, an icon for literary journalists.
a gardener's books: Michael, on my desk is a copy of Flowers in History, by Peter Coats, one of my favorite gardening books. Given to me by a dear friend, it illustrates and traces the origins of garden plants from the sources of their names in mythology to their uses in medicine. Fabulous illustrations. Also on my desk: Stanley Kunitz's poetry and prose on gardens, The Wild Braid, and the Lyons Press reprint of Handy Farm Devices, by Rolfe Cobleigh, which will show you how to build a portable chicken coop or a homemade cabbage cutter, should you happen to need these things. Your readers might also look for the garden writing of Christopher Lloyd, Jamaica Kincaid, Diane Ackerman. All are satisfying writers to read after such a long winter.
Michael Dirda: Crowded desk--especially if you've got one of those portable chicken coops on it or under construction. Many thanks.
New York, NY: Diane Ackerman, Lawrence Weschler, Rebecca Solnit to name a few more. I'm actually excited to see this somewhat new "movement" of books on minutia like Cod, or the color Mauve or Dust getting popular.
Have you seen the new biography of John Carter? What do you think about John Carter's Taste and Techniques in Book Collecting?
Michael Dirda: I know the book was published by a small press and I think Oak Knoll was carrying it in this country, but I haven't actually acquired or read a copy. Taste and Technique is, I think, the best book ever written on book collecting. It's only fault is that Carter deals principally with high-end books, the like of which we will never see in America, outside of Christies. But his sense and sensibility are just right, as is his wit, even better displayed in his classic lexicon The ABCs of Book Collecting. He was, I gather, a rather conservative, old fashioned man. But how can you not love someone who, with Graham Pollard, could expose as a forger the greatest bookman of the era in a pamphlet titled, innoculously, An Enquiry into Certain Nineteenth-Century Pamphlets?
I would never go so far or be so heavy-handed as to accuse you of sexism, and yes, you have occasionally mentioned Jane Austen and other female writers, albeit MOSTLY in answer to genre questions (hello, Stella Gibbon, for one example, and Connie Willis for another).
But many of my favorites, strong writers who exhibit many of the qualities you like, seem not to come to mind when you make recommendations. Margaret Atwood, Carol Shields, Margot Livesay, Allegra Goodman, etc. are riveting writers who combine language, plot and characters to superb effect.
Don't forget them when you make recommendations.
Michael Dirda: You can certainly accuse me of sexism. No holds barred here. As it happens I praised in long reviews books by Atwood and Shields. My latest publication Book by Book carries blurbs from Annie Proulx, Francine Prose and Anne Fadiman, and only one man (Harold Bloom). That said, I've certainly read a lot more books by men than women, partly because the books I've read longest were written before the 20th century and were those I grew up on and was educated by. But I revere Angela Carter, for instance, and Penelope Fitzgerald, Jeanette Winterson, Ivy Compton-Burnett (whom I am always leery of recommending), Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, et al. But I will say, against myself, that I tend not to care for books about "women's issues." What chiefly intersts me is style and vision.
Miserable: Mr. Dirda, what to read when a friendship of several years has come to an end and when your job is destroying your spirit? This morning, I was reading a coffee table art book, saw the pictures of Van Gogh's works, and started blubbering in public, because the poor man suffered so much. Should I just curl up in a blanket and not come out of my room for a month?
Michael Dirda: Hmmm. What to read? Freud?
This is an impossible question to answer. You could turn to books for solace or for counsel, or use them as escape or to plan your next move. It just depends on what you want. I think, though, that you should read the first several chapters of Thoreau's Walden, especially Economy and Where I lived and What I lived for.
Princeton, NJ: Any good suggestions about a good novel that focuses on or takes place among the hippie culture of the 1960's and 1970's? A truly fascinating period in US history that I would like to read about.
Michael Dirda: Read Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. NOt a novel, but a good introduction.
Lenexa, Kan.: Mr. Dirda: I don't know if you've seen Marilyn Nelson's recent poem book, "A Wreath for Emmett Till." It's a 15-poem sequence handsomely illustrated by Philippe Lardy. The first 14 poems are an interlinked "crown of sonnets" (Petrarchan in Nelson's instance) in which the last line of one becomes the first line, sometimes slightly altered, of the next. A "heroic crown of sonnets" goes one step further concluding with a 15th sonnet in which the last sonnet is made up of the first lines of the preceding 14.
It came out beautifully, and it is impossible to read these poems about the pretty bright-eyed boy without crying. The sestet of the final heroic crown:
Tears through the patchwork drapery of dreams.
Let me gather spring flowers for a wreath:
Trillium, apple blossoms, Queen Anne's lace,
Indian pipe, bloodroot, white as moonbeams,
Like the full moon, which smiled calmly on his death,
Like his gouged eye, which watched boots kick his face.
Michael Dirda: Lovely. Many thanks for bringing this book to our attention.
Fair Oaks, Va: Hi. Have you ever had to explain why you read? A friend of mine declared herself absolutely mystified as to why I was reading a book about the Johnstown Flood. It seemed a waste of time to her.
I have many "reasons" to read what I do, although what I actually told her was that I MUST read about the Johnstown Flood every twenty years and--sigh--the time had come up again. That got her thinking. I could tell by the furrowed brow.
This is the first time I have been "challenged" and expected to explain my apparently objectionable activity. I hope this is not a trend.
Michael Dirda: Oh, I suppose I'm asked that question, in one guise or another, pretty often. I read because I have no choice. Flaubert once said that reading is like falling into a deep chasm from which you can't ever climb out. That sounds dire, but there's something to it. With the possible exception of girls or women and the partial one of music, art and travel, nothing has ever interested me as much as books. Moreover, I like to know things, I like to learn things, and books are the best way to do this. When you add to this a passion for interesting prose styles, what else can I do but read?
Colorado Springs, Colo: Thanks for the recommendations on modern day tragedies! Thoroughly enjoying it, I devoured The Dying Animal in one sitting the day it arrived.
Michael Dirda: All part of the service.
Nashville, Tenn.: Very much enjoyed your reiview of the new Ann Akhmatova biography. It inspired me to hunt down the two volume complete poems you mentioned. I can't wait for it to arrive. Also, there was a discussion last week about non-fiction work by Marilynne Robinson. Her book on English envioronmental matters was mentioned (I think it is calld Mother Country). She also published, about 10 years ago, a collection of essays called The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought. It is a stunning collection dealing with many themes that recur in her novels. She makes a number of perceptive comments on the influence of John Calvin on modern thought that just floored me (so much so that I went out and read The Institutes). Anyone who likes intellecutal histories/essays or her novels, will likely enjoy this collection. I'm pretty sure it is in print in paperback.
Michael Dirda: Well, folks, I"ve run out of steam and time and haven't gotten to all the questions. I'm sorry. Do try me again next week, at this same bat time, same bat station. Or possibly a little later: I"m meeting my tax advisor at 12:30.
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Muhammad 'Psychotic,' Medical Assessment Says
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Sniper John Allen Muhammad is not competent to stand trial, his attorneys argued in a motion filed yesterday along with a psychiatric evaluation that says the defendant should not be allowed to defend himself during his murder trial because he is "psychotic, delusional" and "paranoid."
The report -- the first public disclosure of a mental health expert's assessment of the sniper's mind -- was filed a day before Muhammad is scheduled to appear before a judge in Rockville to explain why he wants to fire his attorneys and defend himself during his Montgomery County trial, which is scheduled to start May 1.
Yale University psychiatrist Dorothy O. Lewis, the defense expert who interviewed Muhammad twice in September 2003 and for four hours Monday, said the sniper told her that he is innocent and believes "his arrest was the result of an elaborate scheme to frame him for the murders."
She wrote that Muhammad told her he also believes Lee Boyd Malvo -- his alleged accomplice in the series of slayings committed with a high-powered rifle in October 2002 -- was "fed information by the police and forced to make a false confession."
Lewis wrote that Muhammad's judgment and ability to think logically are "severely compromised" by brain dysfunction and that he probably suffers from "schizo-affective schizophrenia."
Muhammad has refused to assist his attorneys -- Montgomery public defender Paul DeWolfe and his deputy, Brian D. Shefferman -- and says that he can't share his "secret defense strategy" with his attorneys because "they cannot be trusted," Lewis wrote.
Montgomery Circuit Court Judge James L. Ryan will have to tackle the competency issue before deciding whether to allow Muhammad to represent himself -- a request he made in a handwritten letter delivered to the judge this month.
People in criminal proceedings have a constitutional right to represent themselves at trial, but to sign off on such requests, judges need to find that the defendant is competent and is making the decision knowingly and voluntarily.
Ryan could rule on the competency motion today, but he might choose to have Muhammad examined by an independent psychiatrist before deciding whether he's fit to stand trial; Lewis was hired by Muhammad's defense attorneys.
Deputy State's Attorney Katherine Winfree declined to comment on the motion yesterday. DeWolfe said the "report speaks for itself with respect for his competence to stand trial and his competence to waive counsel."
Maryland prosecutors hope to convince a jury that Muhammad was the architect of the sniper shootings, six of which occurred in Montgomery. Muhammad, 45, and Malvo, 21, were each convicted of one killing in separate trials in Virginia in 2003. Muhammad has been sentenced to death and Malvo to life in prison without the possibility of parole in that state.
Maryland prosecutors say a second set of convictions would give relatives of the people shot in Montgomery a taste of justice and secure the defendants' uninterrupted incarceration in case the Virginia convictions were overturned.
Lewis, the psychiatrist, wrote that Muhammad has no clear defense strategy. When asked how he would strike back at the overwhelming amount of evidence prosecutors could introduce to link him to the six slayings, he told her: "One piece at a time . . . you take all the pieces and add them up as a total."
During Monday's interview, Muhammad seemed paranoid, Lewis wrote. He insisted that his attorneys were withholding information that was key to his defense and told her: "It was never my intention to be represented by an attorney."
She wrote that Muhammad had short spurts of lucidity during their two interviews in September but that his behavior deteriorated unpredictably and that he rambled and made "inappropriate" requests, such as examining the physician's fingers and cuticles.
She said he became delusional when asked whether friends and relatives visited him and began speaking about people he knew in China and Russia. He told her that he had been in Germany when the Berlin Wall fell but that "the history books lied" about the date, Lewis wrote.
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Sniper John Allen Muhammad is not competent to stand trial, his attorneys argued in a motion filed yesterday along with a psychiatric evaluation that says the defendant should not be allowed to defend himself during his murder trial because he is "psychotic, delusional" and "paranoid."
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Environmentalists Avoiding Quarrel With Governor
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Despite disappointment in Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's failure to advance the central plank in his growth-control platform, environmental groups are holding back from launching an all-out battle against his push for billions of dollars in transportation spending.
Environmental and "smart growth" advocates cheered when Kaine said during his campaign and first weeks in office that solving Northern Virginia's traffic problems meant doing a better job of managing growth, rather than just spending money to build roads. Now, they are lamenting Kaine's decision to settle for some lesser changes in planning procedures, calling it a missed opportunity given the seemingly widespread public support for his proposals.
But the advocates, who in 2002 helped block a major transportation funding program, say they are holding some of their fire this time because they believe they are making progress in redefining the debate in Richmond. Rather than fighting money for roads outright, they remain hopeful that some language to control development might yet make its way into the transportation financing packages being debated in the General Assembly's special session.
"We think there's still a great opportunity for the governor and legislature to agree on planning reforms that could give the public greater confidence in how the money will be spent," said Stewart Schwartz, director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.
Christopher G. Miller, president of the Piedmont Environmental Council, said that among the items he and others mentioned in a meeting with the Democratic governor last week were that any roads funding program include more money for mass transit and that it include a reassessment of the roads projects that the state has on its to-do list.
The advocates' more nuanced approach stands in contrast to 2002, when, allied with anti-tax groups, they launched an aggressive and successful bid to defeat a referendum to raise the sales tax in Northern Virginia to pay for new roads, a plan backed by then-Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) and the business community.
Growth-control advocates say it would not make sense to attempt a similar campaign this year. Kaine and the state Senate are seeking to add more than $1 billion a year for transportation projects by raising some taxes and fees, while the House wants to spend $350 million in continuing revenue without raising taxes.
The advocates said this year's negotiations in Richmond are a far cry from the referendum campaign, when opponents of the roads funding package could appeal directly to voters. Robert D. Holsworth, director of the Center for Public Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University, agreed with that assessment. Although the advocates had a "tremendous impact" on the referendum and are successfully drafting slow-growth candidates for local races, they are struggling to translate public support into influence in Richmond, he said.
"They're beginning to have a larger impact, but I'm not sure they're the key player in the endgame there over the next couple of months," he said.
Several of Kaine's growth-control proposals did pass, including a requirement for standardized traffic impact studies for major rezoning requests (something most Northern Virginia counties already do) and an allowance for the transfer of development rights from one part of a county to another.
Still, advocates had higher hopes, particularly in the centerpiece of Kaine's growth control program: a proposal to clarify the authority of local governments to reject developers' rezoning requests based on traffic impact.
With developers opposed to the measure, a House committee rejected it. Some Senators tried to revive it, but Kaine stopped pushing for it and the effort faltered.
Lisa Guthrie, director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, said Kaine told her and others last week that he needed to back off the bill to secure support from builders for higher taxes to support transportation spending.
Growth-control advocates said it was hard to understand why developers' objections were enough to block the plan, given that Kaine knew there would be opposition when he announced it.
Kaine administration officials said the plan lacked sufficient legislative support. Growth-control advocates need to appreciate the measures that did pass, as well as Kaine's overall success in focusing more attention on their issues, the officials said.
"He made the coordination of transportation and land use a priority, not just a legislative priority but also an executive branch priority," said Transportation Secretary Pierce R. Homer. "That means the issue doesn't go away when the legislature goes home."
Roger Dietrich, chairman of the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, said advocates would have to be more aggressive in holding Kaine to his word next year. "Maybe we have to give [Kaine] a bye in his first" session, he said, "but we can't keep accepting a quarter loaf as we did this year."
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Despite disappointment in Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's failure to advance the central plank in his growth-control platform, environmental groups are holding back from launching an all-out battle against his push for billions of dollars in transportation spending.
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Whether it's driving too fast during inclement weather, exceeding the speed limit or racing -- speed is one of the most prevalent factors in traffic crashes today. It's a particularly serious local problem: 86 percent of all speed-related fatalities occur on non-Interstate roads. In 2004, speed contributed to 30 percent of all highway fatalities, took 13,192 lives and cost society an estimated $40.4 billion in crash-related expenses.
Earl Hardy is an expert on speeding and its role in traffic safety for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, where he's worked for nearly 10 years. Before joining NHTSA, Hardy served as a North Carolina state trooper.
Elizabeth Alicandri is the Director of the Office of Safety Programs at the Federal Highway Administration. She oversees multidisciplinary programs for the safe operations of roadways pertaining to engineering, enforcement and education.
Elizabeth Alicandri: Hello and glad to be here. Hope everyone has some good questions lined up!
Earl Hardy: Good morning! I'm glad to be here today, so, LET'S GET 'ER DONE!
Washington, D.C.: It seems like EVERYBODY is driving faster than whatever the posted speed limit is, whether in subdivisions or interstates. Is speeding that big a deal anymore?
Elizabeth Alicandri: Your perception that speeding is pervasive is correct. Speed data collected by FHWA indicate that, on average, 70 percent of motorists are exceeding the posted speed limits on non-Interstates and over 50 percent on Interstates. Speeding is directly or indirectly involved in about one-third of all fatal collisions so yes, it is a big deal.
Herndon, Va.: Not surprisingly, I'm having an argument with my wife about who speeds more. She says she only sees men speeding, and I'm pretty sure that most of the cars that blow past me are driven by women. Who's right?
Elizabeth Alicandri: It's a close call. According to a Gallup survey conducted in 2002, male and female were equally likely to report driving over the speed limit on Interstate highways (79 vs. 78 percent). However on local roads, females were less likely to speed (79 vs. 69 percent). Young drivers (16-29) are most likely to drive over the speed limit (80 percent) and those 65 and older are least likely (60 percent).
Hyattsville, Md.: If speed-related incidents are a significant problem, can an agreement be worked out with the manufacturers to limit the speed of the vehicles? It may be a simple as limiting the display on the speedometer to the highest legal speed limit in the U.S. I see no reason why a speedometer can display 140 mph, but the car can never achieve that speed and is almost three times the speed limit.
Earl Hardy: Changing a speedometer display wouldn't address the primary issue: driver behavior.
Alexandria, Va.: So, what do you think of the statistic that speed limits are set significantly below the safe speed as determined by the highway engineers? I feel more confident in the opinion of the people that actually designed the road than the bureaucrats setting lower limits to collect revenue
Elizabeth Alicandri: State lawmakers specify speed limits that generally apply for different types of roads. For example, 30 mph in urban areas, 55 in rural areas and 65 mph on Interstate freeways. However, traffic laws in most states allow but don't require highway agencies to raise or lower the limit on sections of a roadway as long as it's reasonable and safe to do. This is determined through a traffic engineering study. The study investigates factors like prevailing speed, roadside development, pedestrian activity, hidden hazards and crash history. Based on speed measurements, the speeds of reasonable drivers can be determined, excessive speed can be identified and speed limits can be locally adjusted.
Laurel, Md.: I believe the statistics you report are misleading.
Perhaps speed is a "factor" in 30 percent of crashes, but it isn't the -- primary -- factor nearly that often. (How closely do drunk drivers adhere to the speed limit?)
Earl Hardy: Speeding is a contributing factor in 30 percent of fatal crashes.
In 2004, 40 percent of drivers with a .08 or higher blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level involved in fatal crashes were speeding, compared with only 15 percent of drivers with a BAC of .00.
Fairfax, Va.: I've been driving for 40 years and the speeding has just gotten worse the last 10 years or so. Maybe it has to do with people feeling safer in cars, but it's just a given that if you're driving the speed limit, there are people zooming up behind you. Has the speeding problem gotten worse or am I just turning into my parents and complaining about it more?
Earl Hardy: I suspect that many people share your perception about the speeding problem getting worse. According to one federal study, 70 percent of motorists exceed the posted speed limit on non-Interstates. By comparison, about half of all drivers exceed the limit on Interstates.
Washington, D.C.: So, what's the reality behind speeding cameras? Are they effective, or merely a way for the cash-starved District to balance its budget?
Earl Hardy: The use of automated speed enforcement devices is a local decision. However, studies show that photo-radar is an effective tool.
Washington, D.C.: While we all know that speeding is dangerous, I think it annoys people most when speed limits are set too low for the road simply to increase state ticket revenue. An example I can think of is the 395 tunnel where not only is the speed limit 45mph, but there are speed cameras to catch you. Thanks for your thoughts.
Elizabeth Alicandri: In some cases there are hidden hazards that might not be obvious to driver. If you think that a speed limit is not appropriate, your local Department of Transportation is the best resource for you.
Milwaukee, Wisc.: What is your opinion of left-lane vigilantes (the people who sit in the left lane and refuse to move to the right) and, do they also cause a lot of accidents?
Earl Hardy: The posted speed limit applies to all lanes. However, the left lane is generally considered the passing lane. Slower vehicles should move to the right, allowing other vehicles to pass safely.
Astoria, New York: My problem is speed limits seem so arbitrary. I live in NYC, but come from Michigan and often make that long drive. One state will have a 60 mph speed limit, while the next 65, and in Michigan it's 70, yet the roads all seem the same. Why the difference in speed limits? It is for that reason that I generally drive 70 no matter what. I figure if its safe in Michigan on a similar quality road, then it should be safe in New Jersey, Penn or Ohio (understanding that you slow down in congested areas). Anyway, these differences for seemingly similar roads seem to contradict set speed limits. Your thoughts?
Elizabeth Alicandri: Each individual state is responsible for setting maximum speed limits in their state, even interstate highways.
Richmond, Va.: Which is more dangerous -- speeding in an urban area or in a rural area?
Elizabeth Alicandri: Speeding is a problem everywhere and causes crashes everywhere. In 2003, 86 percent of speeding related fatalities were on non-rural interstate roads. This implies that a significant number of speed-related fatalities are on local roads and highways. Of course, we encourage drivers to be safe on all roads.
Fairfax, Va.: It seems that speeding in this area is helped along by a combination of pent up frustration with constantly congested highways and the belief among many that driving is their right and they are much more important than everyone around them and must get where they are going first. Is this your experience or is it other factors altogether? Is there any hope that speeding on secondary roads can be controlled with something other that speed bumps and a traffic light on every corner timed improperly?
Earl Hardy: While congestion certainly leads to frustration, it's crucial that drivers keep their emotions in check. As to speeding on secondary roads, traffic calming can be effective. Automated enforcement also helps reduce speeding on local roads.
Arlington, Va.: Do you analyze the speeding and accident data by time of day? It is my perception that many people are speeding at night and "out-driving" the range of their headlights, thereby increasing the chance of an accident.
Elizabeth Alicandri: Yes. The speeding related fatality rate is highest at night. Speeds are typically higher at night on urban roads but lower at night on rural roads.
Arlington, Va.: Personally, I think that slow drivers, and if you're driving the speed limit and everyone else is speeding you're the slow driver, contribute mote to accidents by disrupting the traffic flow and creating a speed differential. Which even NHTSA says is a factor in accidents.
Earl Hardy: Research does show that speed differential can add to the likelihood of a crash.
Clifton, Va.: Driving to fast for conditions kills not just simple speeding. I can cruise Route 66 at a 120mph in my M6 in light traffic without a problem. Should also mention that I currently hold FIA and SCA racing licenses and instruct for BMW car Club of America drivers schools. I have raced at Daytona, Sebring and Lemans. You can be going to fast at 15mph but not going too fast at 130mph. It depends. Most current speed enforcement laws are there for revenue generation not safety. I don't speed in residential areas, school zones and if it it raining out I am probably driving slower and at or below the posted speed limit. And most state and local law enforcement doesn't have a clue about car control or speed.
Earl Hardy: Racing experience does not give you license to disobey traffic laws. And, remember, not all drivers on the road have the same level of training and experience that you do.
Earl Hardy: WOW! This was fun. Thanks for your questions.
Elizabeth Alicandri: Thanks for all the issues you raised in our discussion today.
Drive, walk and bike safely as you head home!
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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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Earl Hardy of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Elizabeth Alicandri of the Federal Highway Administration team up to talk about speed-related issues.
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Travel: "No Reservations"
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The gourmet adventurer introduces viewers to people and places and experiences the good, the bad and the ugly.
Anthony Bourdain: Hello. Glad to be here and looking forward to your questions.
Anthony Bourdain: I just got in from three weeks of doing shows in Korea, Java and Bali. Happy to be home and happy to taking part in this.
Charlottesville, Va.: Which is more exhausting: running a kitchen or hosting a travel show?
Anthony Bourdain: No contest. Cooking professionally is work. Making a travel show, however undignified at times, is relatively easy and privilege.
Alexandria, Va.: In your experience, where is the hottest or most impressive culinary destination? Where do you think is the next big place?
Anthony Bourdain: I think for the greatest, most exciting and diverse mix all in one place, I'd have to go for Sinapore or Malaysia because of the mixed cultures of Chinese, Indian and Malay, a vibrant street food culture and a fiercely, fiercely foody population. They like their food and take it very seriously. You can always find a good argument on where to get the best food in Sinapore and Malaysia and those kinds of strong opinions are always a good sign. Where people are opinionated about food, they tend to cook well.
Maryland: In almost every episode you try to drink your hosts under the table. That plus spicy food. How do you do it and produce a show?
Anthony Bourdain: LAUGHS. I try to be a good guest. As an honored guest I tend to be offered the local beverage, lots and lots of the local beverage. I do my best to show good manners, to be properly grateful and keep up. So though I do tend to enjoy my drink, it's simply good manners in this case. As far as spicy food, I love spicy food. That's not difficult for me.
Washington, D.C.: How much did that sushi dinner cost at the end of Monday's Osaka episode? It looked great, but must have cost a fortune.
Anthony Bourdain: I believe it cost around $200 and worth every penny. No price is too high for quality toro tuna.
Washington, D.C.: Hi Tony -- Love the show! Is there anything you WON'T eat?
Anthony Bourdain: Yes. No monkey brain. As a New Yorker who has had many unpleasant expriences with rats, I'm too grossed out by them to every contemplate eating one. The tail freaks me out. Also, I'm very grateful that I have never been offered cat or dog. Given the choice between showing bad manners to my host and violating my own deeply held principles about what is a pet and what is food, I don't know what I'd do.
Washington, D.C.: Tony, I love the current show and was a big fan of your previous show on Food Network. I've enjoyed your non-fiction books, but was wondering if you plan on any more fictional works. "Bone in the Throat" was a great read....any more to come?
Anthony Bourdain: I'm currently writing my fourth novel, a crime novel set in the Caribbean. Should be out next year.
Arlington, Va.: Where do you recommend eating in Jakarta? Were you ever concerned for your personal safety traveling in Indonesia? What about avian flu concerns?
Anthony Bourdain: I wasn't concerned about my personal security. Avian flu also ... You take chances every time you walk out the door. I'm pretty much ready to spin the wheel, especially since the great majority of my experiences on the road have been so rewarding. Great things don't happen to you if you're afraid to take chances to get away from the hotel, to get off the tourist trail.
The street food in Indonesia is fantastic.
Washington, D.C.: I still get nightmares from that beating cobra heart that you swallowed in Saigon. Do you throw it up in this Sunday's outtakes show?
Anthony Bourdain: No. Actually eating the cobra heart was a lot like eating a very small, very angry and rather athletic oyster. The fermented shark in Iceland was much, much more difficult.
Orlando, Fla.: I read in an interview that you where going to live in Vietnam for an extended period of time (a year if I remember correctly). Did that happen?
Anthony Bourdain: Not yet. I still hope to at some point in the future. And you'll notice from the program that I like to spend as much time as possible in Asia. I'm so busy making the shows that I don't live anywhere anymore. I'm traveling about 24 days out of every month for one reason or another. But I hope that an extended stay in Vietnam is in my future.
Silver Spring, Md.: I love your show. You seem to have a dream job. If you ever need an "Ed McMahon" as a second banana give me a call. Seriously, I was very touched by your graciousness to the rural Chinese family that hosted you in their home. You certainly exemplify what it means to be a good guest.
Anthony Bourdain: Thanks so much for saying that. I felt genuinely privileged to have seen and experienced that meal. It's one of the real joys of my life to exprience the kindness of strangers, often poor strangers with very little, on such a regular basis. What you saw on the show was genuine gratitude and real happiness on my part. And you'll notice on the show that I'm usually at my happiest in similar situations and I'm snarkiest and sarcastic on the show when I in fine dining situations.
Washington, D.C.: How much time, money and effort does it take to crank out one show?
Anthony Bourdain: A lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of effort by a lot of people. The show is filmed by two camera people, a director who also carries a camera, an assistant producer much like a traveling band, yet there's a whole team back in New York of producers, editors, sound engineers, researchers and assistants for post-production. The show is a joy to make because it's a collaborative effort and because I love the people I work with, much like a band. I have the best day job in the world.
Maryland: How often do you get to cook for your foreign hosts? What is their opinion of American cuisine?
Anthony Bourdain: I'm there to eat and learn and satisfy my curiosity. I'm not there to teach. I almost never cook on the road. If I'm lucky enough to have 10 days in China, I'm not wasting my time making a grilled cheese sandwich. Maybe that's selfish but I'm having too much fun and have too little time to waste a minute. Unfortunately, most of the world knows American cuisine as the King , the Colonel, the clown and Planet Hollywood.
Houston, Texas: Tony, any plans for Hong Kong?
Anthony Bourdain: As soon as possible. I've been there and love it. Hope to shoot there next season.
Washington, D.C.: Tony: How do you think the Yankees will do this year?
Anthony Bourdain: LAUGHS. The dynasty will continue. We will be back. We will grind the Red Sox to dust. Johnny Damon will get the key playoff ending hit, no doubt.
Washington, D.C.: Mr Bourdain, you totally rock! I loved your book and the show you used to have on Food Network. My question is this: have you eaten around locally here in D.C. and, if you have, are there any places you really like? I think we have the best Ethiopian food outside of Ethiopia.
Anthony Bourdain: I've eaten Ethiopian food in D.C. Loved it. I'm a big fan of Ben's Chili Bowl. Jose Andres has a number of great restaurants. And I'm a big Kinkeads fan.
Jackson, Miss.: Where would you most like the show to go in the future? Are other American stops planned?
Anthony Bourdain: Yes. Portland and Seattle. The Texas-Mexican border, south Florida and I'm thinking about Atlanta and Austin, Tex.
Nashua, N.H.: Anthony, just watched your trip to St. Pete last night. The whole ice house arc cracked me up. What I truly enjoy about your travels is that you don't pull any punches. (As in your opinion of that big crusty tart thing that lady baked for you to eat all alone...) If something sucks, you don't hide it or do you? Have you ever had to use some serious acting chops?
Anthony Bourdain: If the people are really nice and yet have served me a steaming loaf of crap I will try my best to be gracious but I guess I'm just not going to morph into Rachel Ray any time soon. If the food is crap I'm gonna say so. I hate shows where the host lies to you.
Washington, D.C.: I love love love your books! I was wondering what some of your favorite foods to eat were when you were in Cambodia and Thailand. Will you be going back anytime soon for this season's show?
Anthony Bourdain: Neither of those countries in this season but I hope to visit Bangkok next season. Cambodia was still pretty rough when I visited it last. And perhaps I'll visit it again in a few years.
Everything's good in Thailand. I regret to say I didn't find much that I loved in Cambodia. There were still hard times. People were struggling to eat anything. I am, however, a big durian fan.
Maryland: Man, you constantly rip on Food Channel celeb chefs/cooks. Are they really that bad?
Anthony Bourdain: Mario Battali is a monster of rock 'n' roll and a personal friend. Emeril, in spite of all the terrible things I've said about him, has been very good to me, is actually a very nice guy and a restauratuer/chef worthy of a lot more respect than I've given him (I still hate the show). What wrankes me about Food Network and makes them an easy target is that they are no longer in the business of real chefs demonstrating real techniques. It's about developing brands, adorable personalities and catch phrases. Food Network was very good to me for two years.
Hi Mr. Snarky: Does your attitude ever get you into trouble with the suits?
Anthony Bourdain: Surprisingly enough, they've pretty much given me license to kill. Like indulgent parents, they've been spoiling me terribly. They even enjoy my rude, incredibly profane e-mail when they make a suggestion I'm not happy with. Somebody high up at Travel Channel is clearing smoking a bong and I'm very grateful for it every day.
Cambodia: What's not to like about the fried spider market in Phnom Penh? Ever eat one of those puppies?
Anthony Bourdain: LAUGHS. I'm very unhappy with the two shows I did in Cambodia. I don't think I did the country justice. I was there at a difficult time. I was uncomfortable, often afraid, heartbroken by the political situation, the poverty and appalled by the behavior of many of the ex-pats. I have little memory of the food. I'd like to try again some day.
Cambodia: What's not to like about the fried spider market in Phnom Penh? Ever eat one of those puppies?
Anthony Bourdain: LAUGHS. I'm very unhappy with the two shows I did in Cambodia. I don't think I did the country justice. I was there at a difficult time. I was uncomfortable, often afraid, heartbroken by the political situation, the poverty and appalled by the behavior of many of the ex-pats. I have little memory of the food. I'd like to try again some day.
Glen Ellyn, Ill.: Mr. Bourdain, what's your favorite Chicago-area place and can I get in if I tell them you recommended it?
Anthony Bourdain: LAUGHS. Some favorites in Chicago: Blackbird, Avec, Gold Coast. I don't know if dropping my name will help but good luck.
Washington, D.C.: I really loved your recent show on Japan. It was especially interesting and I thought spot on- I had just been there. I wanted to ask you what country you found the most difficult to travel in and which was the easiest. Your own definitions apply of course.
Anthony Bourdain: Singapore is ridiculously easy to make television and to tavel in. You can take the subway from one end of the country to the other. Japan, easy. Vietnam, fun. Uzbekistan, unbelievably difficult. And India, very difficult but well worth it.
Washington, D.C.: While you were in Southeast Asia, did you ever sample food from the Philippines? There's an odd duck/chick swimming in amniotic fluid that people just gobble up straight from the shell. Feathers, eyes, bones and all...
Anthony Bourdain: You're talking balut. Been there, done that but in Vietnam where they also eat it. Crunchy, delicious.
China: What else does your doctor tell you to avoid besides spicy foods? Don't cigarettes kinda ruin one's palate?
Anthony Bourdain: That's why God made salt. All chefs smoke. And most Chinese, it seems.
Washington, D.C.: In your book, you caution against ordering fish in restaurants on Sunday. I've dutifully stayed away on your advice. Are you sure I can't order fish on Sundays? Any other definite no-nos that you've gleaned from your most recent travels?
Anthony Bourdain: Eat the fish already. Just understand that it is more likely to be fresher and better Tuesday through Friday.
St. Paul, Minn.: I know you appreciate food and can put away large quatities in one sitting. How do you manage to keep trim? I don't get the impression that exercising with a cigarette hanging out of your mouth is the answer.
Anthony Bourdain: My diet and health regime is as follows: a healthy breakfast of coffee and cigarettes, a big lunch, sensible dinner. I don't snack. I don't eat Cheese Doodles. I don't eat Pringles and I'm not into desserts and sweats. I call it the Keith Richards exercise plan. Every day that Keith Richards sill walks this earth is a validation of my workout regimen.
Maryland: Is this show your retirement plan? Where do old chefs go to die?
Anthony Bourdain: Where do chefs go to die? Las Vegas. I don't have a retirement plan. I'm making it up as I go along. I hope to die while making this show with a big hunk of properly cooked pork hanging out of my mouth and a cigarette still burning in my hand.
Reston, Va.: You don't seem to spend much visiting vineyards. Why is that?
Anthony Bourdain: Is watching some idiot drinking a glass of red stuff and telling you it's good, visually interesting? You can't taste wine that you see on television. Food porn, the pleasures of food, are more easily communicated. I love a good wine. I just don't know how entertaining watching me suck down a bottle of Chateau D'Yqem would be.
Washington, D.C.: Will there be some Eastern European destinations on the show?
Anthony Bourdain: I hope so. I'm looking hard at Prague at the moment.
Hawaii: Will you ever travel to Hawaii and check out the spam craze?
Anthony Bourdain: Then I would have to eat a lot of Spam and I would rather have sex with a crackhead clown an ebola-infected spider monkey than eat Spam on a regular basis. Does Spam qualify as food or bulding material?
Austin, Texas: What do you say to someone who does not enjoy food?
Anthony Bourdain: I'm guessing they're not too good in the sack either. What a terrible thing to contemplate.
Jackson, Miss.: A response: Tex-Mex border is a great idea. Atlanta is like going to Dallas. I would recommend the rural South (Mississippi Delta maybe?)
Anthony Bourdain: Yes, but I'm a huge fan of the Clermont Lounge, one of the world's greatest dive bars in Atlanta, Fat Matt's Rib Shack and Bob and June's Kountry Kitchen. I'm familiar with Atlanta and a personal connection is really helpful when making a show.
Washington, D.C.: Am going to Seoul and Gwangyang, Korea soon. Any culinary recommendations? Thanks...
Anthony Bourdain: I just got back from Seoul. Did a great show there. Everything is good. Be careful with the soju. Prepare to drink way too much of it and I hope you like karaoke because you will find yourself singing Anarchy in the U.K. from a table top with your shirt wrapped around your head with kimchee breath I love Korea. They know how to party.
Anthony Bourdain: I'd like to thank everybody for the great questions and the Travel Channel for giving me the best job in the world.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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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Color of Money Book Club
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Michelle writes that Hinden, a longtime financial reporter for The Washington Post, shares what he did right and most importantly what he did wrong in making his choices.
Read Michelle's past Color of Money columns .
Michelle Singletary: Hello all. We've got a lot of questions so let's get started.
Rockville, MD: I read the first edition of Stan's book and was really taken aback at the decision to take a single life pension, rather than one that would continue if your wife survived you. I've read dozens of personal finance books over the past 6 or 7 years, and none of them has recommended doing that, unless maybe your spouse is in hospice or is independently wealthy. It could end up a winning bet if you outlive her, but what a risk for her! What made you decide on the single-life pension?
Stan Hinden: As I wrote in my book, I took the single life annunity and today I am sorry that I did so. I should have taken a pension with a spousal benefit. At the time, we were not sure about our retirement income--I didn't do my homework as well as I should have. And the question I failed to address was what would happen to Sara's income if I were to die. When I finally looked at that picture, it was unfavorable but too late.
Michelle Singletary: And don't be too harsh on Stan. His mistakes is a lesson for us all. Also keep in mind a lot of these decisions depend on a lot of factors. I read how he made the decision and based on how he and Sara were thinking it did make sense at the time. Of course in hindsight it doesnt' but then that's why they call it "hindsight."
Washington D.C.: Hi Michelle - Off topic question if I may. Why on earth does the IRS want you to put your SS number on your tax payment check? Don't they realize that with all the people that will handle that check it's one of the prime methods of identity theft? And I suppose if I don't write it on the check, they will.
Michelle Singletary: Good point. I do wish they would find another way to identify us. Why don't you pay electronically then you wouldn't have a paper check floating around out there.
Washington, D.C.: Good morning! Is there a regular schedule for the "Color of Money" chats?
washingtonpost.com: You can read transcripts of past chats and check for future discussions online here .
Michelle Singletary: There is. Every other Thurs. at noon. But this week I had an apt. that forced me to delay it.
If you subscribe to my weekly e-letter you can keep up to date of the chats and more.
Virginia Beach, Virginia: Hi Stan -
Both my husband and I read your book and really enjoyed it. One question though - when you were talking about your monthly income and outgo, you didn't mention whether or not you have a mortgage. Our plan is to have ours paid off prior to retirement. What do you recommend? Thanks!
Stan Hinden: Yes, we do have a mortgage. Fortunately, it represents only about one-third of the value of our home. And I thought that it would be a good thing to have the mortgage-interest deduction. But, truthfully, I am beginning to have second thoughts about it. I was looking at my statement the other day and found that we had paid $4,000 in interest last year. That is a good deduction of course. But if I didn't have the mortgage, I would have saved that amount of money. Also, if a husband dies first, his widow will have to pay the mortgage and if her income decreases when her husband dies, then she might be better off without the mortgage.
Old folks boogie: Hi Mr. Hinden: I'm considering early retirement in part because I think they're gonna make us work our whole lives in the future. I guess the biggest concern is medical coverage (I'm under 54), does it keep costing more and can they tap your retirement savings for payment? How then, would you live? thanks
Stan Hinden: The trend on the cost of medical care is up,up, up. And there does not appear to be any way to slow it down, as yet. So at your age, I would be prepared to pay for medical coverage before you reach Medicare age. And after that I would be prepared to pay for medigap and, or, an HMO plan, plus a certain amount for prescription drugs. As for tapping into your retirement savings for payment, I am not sure about that. I have heard of some states trying to make relatives pay back the cost of nursing home care for their parents who were on Medicaid. But I haven't heard of anyone trying to tap into your savings or other assets to pay regular medical bills.
washingtonpost.com: You can sign up for Michelle's weekly personal finance e-letter here .
What are your thoughts for teachers who are stuck with 403 (b) plans that are mostly limited to high fee variable annuity choices? Thank you.
Michelle Singletary: I think it sucks (excuse my language).
If there is a match put in enough for that and after that I would put my money else where (IRA, ROTH)
And complain -- loudly. Get your colleagues to complain. There is no reason for them to limit your choices like that.
Alexandria, VA: Right now, I am having a hard time striking a balance with saving for retirement and saving for non-retirement goals (kids, college, home renovations, etc.). Do you think maxing out IRA and 401(k) contributions every year will be too much? My husband thinks it is and figures reducing our contributions would make it easier to save (i.e. SPEND) for our non-retirement desires. I disagree and figure if we can max out our retirement options and still have money to do things, even at a scaled back level, we will be fine. Thoughts?
Stan Hinden: My motto: SAVE, SAVE, SAVE. It is very tough, I know, to give up luxuries to sock that money away in the bank or in investment funds. But you are facing college costs and more for your kids. And inflation is always with us. And it truly erodes the value of your savings over the years. I would max out every IRA and 401 (k) type savings plan, even if it means delaying other things you want. One of these days, you will be happy you did.
Michelle Singletary: I totally agree. Save as much as you can first for your retirement. Then for college, etc.
Richmond, VA: Hi Michelle, thanks for writing columns about finance issues that actually matter to the average person. My question is regarding your recent article on the inept Credit Reporting Agencies. Why does this issue not seem to be getting addressed by Congress? Do you know if it is on anyone's agenda? It's very important and it effects us in so many ways. There shouldn't be 3 different CRA's, there should be one. These companies should be non-profit and designed to serve the greater good of the public. They should be highly regulated and the information should be accurate. They also need to start regulating all these ridiculous interest only loans being offered to people who its not suitable for. This is going to come back and bite people and it's a shame.
When is the government going to step up and tackle the real domestic issues in this country?
washingtonpost.com: Michelle's past columns are online here .
Michelle Singletary: The gov't and Congress will step up when we complain.
I totally agree with you. But since when are consumers treated fairly?
Takoma Park, MD: I've often wondered how retirement planners come up with percentage of income needed in retirement (e.g. 80 - 90%) compared to one's working years. I looked at all my deductions on my paystub, assumed continuing taxes and medical, discarded the rest, and commuting expenses, and came up with 82%. Does that make sense? What about additional expenses in retirement to "keep yourself busy"?
Stan Hinden: Well, this gets pretty tricky. I know that the 80 percent rule didn't work for us. For several reasons. Our health care expenses in retirement are much higher than when we were working--and getting higher as we age. Then, when you reach 70.5 years, you have to start taking money out of your IRA rollovers and other tax-deferred plans. And that is 100 percent taxable. Also, you may have to pay taxes on up to 80 percent of your Social Security income. Finally, in retirement, we wanted to travel and the cost of having fun adds up. So it's easy to spend more in retirement than when you are working
Arlington, VA: Hi, Michelle - I'm sorry this isn't directly related to the book. My husband and I just pulled our credit reports in preparation for talking to lenders for our first home. I found that my report includes duplicates for several accounts. My wallet was stolen last year, so orignal accounts still appears "open" for several (a few do show "lost or stolen"). The one negative point myfico.com noted for me was that I had too many accounts. Should I try to correct this, or not bother since there will never be debt shown on those original accounts?
(admittedly, my score was 820 so this is not a big deal, maybe it's a pride thing that they still had to ding me on something!).
Yup too much pride. The top score is 850. At 750 you are golden.
Washington, DC: I think one of the sad ironies of life is that so many people spend their entire lives planning for they day they can leave their jobs and then when that day comes, either they convince themselves they can't leave or they don't live long enough to leave.
Michelle Singletary: So isn't the answer then to plan your life for now and later? I think so.
Alexandria, VA: As I approach retirement (10-yrs off) I met with my bank's planner, and actually paid for a financial plan from Ameriprise. Both encouraged me to buy an annuity--and aside from the tax benefit--still don't understand why this is such a great option. Can you recommend some reading for me? My concern is that the recommendations are more product based--good for the seller--than for me.
Stan Hinden: Your instincts are correct. Annunities can be complicated and contain features that might not be favorable. That does not mean that they are not useful under the right circumstances. I don't have the name of a book on annuities handy but I am sure that a Google or Amazon search will turn up several books that could be helpful. So I suggest that you investigate annuities very carefully before you buy one. Make sure it is right for you now--and in the future.
Mt Pleasant, SC: OK, you have your 401K and or IRA.
You retire at 59 1/2.
What's the best most efficient way to get the money out?
Consider tax implication, long life expectancy, maximum performance of the Funds you are into.
Stan Hinden: Tom: Interesting question. The standard answer is that you want to keep the money in your 401(k) and IRA accounts as long as possible because it is growing tax-deferred. Taking money out means you will have to pay tax on that money. So when you retire, the idea is to move your money from your 401(k) plan into a IRA rollover plan, so it stays tax-deferred. Now, if you need some of your savings to live on, then you will have to take a series of distributions, which is somewhat complicated but can be explained by most investment advisers or accountants. In any event, try to take out the least amount so your savings continue to grow.
Fort Washington MD: With Social Security shaky, pensions drying up, health insurance becoming unaffordable, what advice do you give 40-55 year olds? I am sadden that retirement appears to be leading to a hardscrabble life for even the most prepared individuals with health insurance as the unknown factor.
Stan Hinden: Well, I can tell you what I tell my baby boomer kids, who are in the 40-55 year age range. First, try to organize and solidify your career path, so that you are headed upward. Second, work for a company with good benefits and/or the federal government. Three, save hard, even if means making some sacrifices. Four, invest wisely and don't overlook the potential of careful real estate investing. I think if you do all of those things, you will be able to survive the difficulties that will surely accompany retirement in the years to come.
Arlington, VA: I have money in a Roth and Traditional IRA and the rate of return has been marginal. I have been putting money into this fund (Fidelity Destiny II) for 7 years off and on. How can I reallocate this money with another financial institution without making a withdrawal?
Stan Hinden: I believe that you can ask the company that holds your accounts to transfer them to another mutual fund company. If you call the company that you want to transfer the account to, they will generally help you do it, or do it for you.
Arlington, VA: I hope you won't mind a non-book related question, but I'm a little desperate here and I trust your advice. Our HOA has voted in 15K in special assessments (yes per homeowner!) since 2003. Another 15-20K special assessment is almost certainly coming this spring. My husband and I are having trouble deciding how to handle this. We are generally in good shape financially, we both contribute the maximum amount to our 401k plans, and have about 25K in emergency savings. If we decide to stay in the house, we could just pay the special assessment outright, but that would really deplete our emergency fund. We have about 300K in equity, so we could also get a home equity loan to pay the special assessment (we'd also love to remodel our kitchen). Our financial advisor advises us to sell and move if we'd like to move (I'm a little worried about selling right before a big special assessment for a big HOA construction project) or to refinance and take cash out (we would take a hit on this because our current mortgage interest rate is 5.25% and we know rates are higher than that now). What would you advise? Thanks!
Michelle Singletary: I don't think you should deplete your emergency fund. You never know what could happen. If you don't want to move (and I completely understand) then in this case you might consider refinancing and pulling money out plus what you might spend on the kitchen. But don't pull out more than you need. If you can aggressively save instead of using all debt to pay the assessment pay part in cash and the other in home equity funds.
But perhaps looking down the road you should get on the board of your community association and put a stop to these large assessments.
Upper Marlboro, MD: Stan and/or Michelle...what is your best advice on when to start collecting Soc Security. I always heard that taking it as soon as you were eligible was the best; but upon retirement (at 62), my advisor said to wait....and gave me a couple of references that said you did collect more income by waiting......(looking forward to reading your book!)
Stan Hinden: Thank you. The book spells out the various options for taking Social Security. The main point is this: If you want and need for your SS income to be the highest possible, then wait until you are 70. You get a bonus for each year you wait. On the other hand, if you have lots of other income, you could take it at 62 (with a 20 percent plus deduction) or at full retirment age (now 65 plus). I suggest that you study your options carefully.
San Rafael, CA: I know investing for people my age--over 60, call for putting
anywhere from 40 percent to 60 percent or more into bonds.
I bought three bond funds a couple of years ago, and have
seen them go down in basis value (minus the dividends).
Would it be better to just put everything in a money market
account paying nearly 4 percent?
Stan Hinden: My philosophy is that if you are in your sixties, you probably have 15 to 20 years or more to live in retirement. And that means that you need to keep your money growing in order to make up for the impact of inflation. So even at your age--even at my age, I'm in my seventies--you would want to get the growth that you can get from stocks. So what you need to do is work out a portfolio that gives you both bonds and stocks and reserves a money market fund for money that you may need in the short term.
My boyfriend and I are looking at our financial situation in the long term. We bought a house and have 401Ks at our jobs (i also participate in a defined benefit). We have a joint savings account and our own investments. We don't plan on having children. Do you have any other suggestions for long term saving?
Stan Hinden: My view is that first you should max out your 401(k) savings, and then if there is any extra money, put it into Roth IRAs because you pay the taxes upfront but don't have to pay taxes on them when you withdraw the money. Also review your investments and check out the "target date" funds that are offered by many mutual fund companies. They are geared to the year in which you will retire. But each mutual fund company has different parameters for how they run their funds. But it's worth looking at.
Vienna, VA: Because of our combined income being over a certain level, we cannot contribute to IRA and other retirement accounts. We contribute the maximum allowable for 401(k). What investment do you think best for retirement that minimize tax burden? Thx.
Stan Hinden: A number of mutual fund companies have funds that make a special effort to avoid creating taxable income for investors. Index funds usually fall in this category because they have low expenses. But you can ask fund companies to tell you which of their funds are tax-conscious funds and avoid creating tax bills for their shareholders.
washingtonpost.com: That's all the time we have for today's discussion. Thanks for joining us.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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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Books: "The Jesus Papers" + "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" v. "The Da Vinci Code"
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Michael Baigent , co-author of "Holy Blood, Holy Grail," was online Thursday, March 30, at 2 p.m. ET to discuss his new book, "The Jesus Papers," and the upcoming verdict of the legal case in which he and co-author Richard Leigh sued "Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown for copyright infringement.
Michael Baigent: I'd like to welcome everyone here. My book is a journey and I'm hoping to take the reader with me step by step through the information asking all the questions and hoping that we will have insights and thus a greater knowledge of our spirituality. I'm in the business of asking questions.
Michael Baigent: My colleagues and I felt that out intellectual property had been unfairly exploited and what else does a writer own but his or her intellectual property. And as authors we have to defend it and the laws of copyright are set up to help us defend and protect our intellectual property. So we felt we had no alternative but to pursue an action against the publishers of The Da Vinci Code. We were not suing Dan Brown himself directly. I have no animosity whatsoever against Dan Brown.
The case, regrettably, ended up in court and by English law each side presents its arguments and evidence and then the judge goes away and reads all the relevent documentation and writes up a considered judgment. Now that's the position we're in at this precise point in time. And I have no idea whatsoever how the case will turn out.
Colorado Springs, Colo.: A few weeks ago, I participated in a chat regarding how much of HBHG was used by Dan Brown in DVC. Will you please quantify "substantial", as the author, which lead to the justification of the lawsuit?
As an insider, what are your thoughts regarding the outcome (other than the obvious) of the upcoming verdict?
Michael Baigent: My evidence came to just under 3,000 pages so it would take me a long time to put everything down. But primarily the heart of it has to do with the idea of the Holy Grail as metaphor for a person which could include a child, a bloodline, etc. The Grail is a complex metaphor and what we said in Holy Blood is that one of the things that the Grail legends were both hiding and revealing simultaneously was the idea of the survival of the royal line of David bloodline.
Philadelphia, Pa.: I am ignorant of the whole issue: I have not read these books because I know they are fiction. They even claim to be fiction. Even if they were to claimed to be true, da Vinci lived long after the time of Christ. So, da Vinci would have no first-hand knowledge of the life of Christ. Nor would would the Vatican, as very little was transcribed during the life of Christ. Indeed, there are no surviving records of the life of Jesus from when he lived. All we have are the writings of the discipiles and conjecture. My question: what's the fuss all about if we understand the simple fact that this is all fiction and conjecture?
Michael Baigent: There's an important factor to bring into play here. The Roman historian Tacitus, he wrote that a Jewish messiah was cruicified during the governorship of Pontius Pilate and the reign of the emperor Tiberius. This is the only external historical evidence which concerns the life of Jesus. The statements in the Jewish historian Josephus cannot be proved to be original because of the Christian theology they express it is more likely that they are later editions.
Nevertheless, the evidence of Tacitus tells that there is some history in the New Testament documents. And the problem for any historian of the period is to decide where does the history end and the theology start, because the prime reason for the New Testament is to express a theology. And the difficulty is finding the history.
My whole aim with my new book, The Jesus Papers, is to take the reader on a journey where we look beneath the later figure of Jesus of Theology and search for the Jesus of History.
Munich, Germany: I can't think of anyone who has researched the life of Jesus so thoroughly as you.
What do you think of Jesus coming to life again after his crucifixion? This is a vital part of Christianity, since it makes Jesus into a god instead of a mortal.
Michael Baigent: The idea of Jesus being God did not become official doctrine until the decision of the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., and interestingly, it wasn't until just over 70 years later at the Council of Carthage in 397 A.D. that the official canon of the New Testament was established. By these acts during the 4th Century the doctrine of Jesus as God was made not only official but required belief.
Prior to the 4th Century there was great diversity within the memories of Jesus that we being written down. There were many documents of equal validity telling different aspects of his life. There were certainly those who regarded Jesus as a god but they were just one strand in a richer and more diverse movement.
If we look at the words of Jesus himself it is clear that he did not claim to be God. I refer, for example, to John 10:33-35, what is clear is that Jesus was interested in taking people individually to the kingdom of God. The real question is, what did Jesus mean by "the kingdom of God"? It was obviously something intensely spiritual and this is an important part of my exploration in the book.
With regard to the crucifixion my conclusion is that he survived it and he survived it with the help, no less, of Pontius Pilate.
Washington, D.C.: In searching the Web, I found the following statement attributed to you. "The Jesus Papers is based on hundreds of documents that prove all of this inconclusively. Unfortunately these documents are hidden/misplaced and I cannot produce them at this time."
"Baigent cannot produce many of these documents and will not offer them up for Carbon-14."
Have you offered the documents to prove your theories? Have you refused Carbon-14 tests?
Michael Baigent: The journey I take the reader on in the book is conducted upon a background provided by a large clandestine antiquities market. Out there are a large number of very, very significant documents, some of which I've seen and held, others of which I've been told about and got near to and failed at the last approach, other documents which people who have seen them have spoken to me about them. But because I cannot produce them it is not fair on the reader that I should base any of my arguments on them. But at the same time it is not fair on the reader to ignore their existence.
I think it's important that we know that "out there" are a large number of potentially explosive texts which would give us a very different view of Christianity and the life of Jesus. And my hope is that in due course, sooner rather than later, that many, perhaps most, of these documents will emerge and be studied by scholars. The information they contain will, in that way, enter into the realm of accepted human knowledge.
Do your books have the same bias against Opus Dei as Mr. Brown's do? I have several family members in this organization, and it was so inaccurately portrayed by Mr. Brown that it was almost criminal. Clearly he had done no research of any kind into Opus Dei.
Michael Baigent: I don't deal with Opus Dei in "The Jesus Papers."
Southern Maryland: After reading "Da Vinci Code," I tracked down and read the works cited in the novel, including yours. I felt like a Rolling Stones fan who was curious about Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. If your new book is as good as "Holy Blood, Holy Grail," it should be a great read.
Beyond the question of a Jesus bloodline, I think the larger issue is about Western religions devaluing the feminine. That seemed to be the result, if not the objective, of the campaign by early church leaders to downgrade Mary Magdalene's status. In my view, Western culture and religion is the poorer for not having a sense of the sacred feminine. Margaret Starbird's "The Woman in the Alabaster Jar" addresses this issue, as does "The Difference" by the late feminist writer Judy Mann. Comments?
Michael Baigent: What you say is absolutely correct and all of us are much the poorer for the exlusion of the feminine from the church. What happenend in the late 2nd Century A.D. is that the idea of a male dominated spirituality began to be formulated, particularly by theologians such as Tertullian who seems to have thoroughy disliked women for one reason or another. Yet what is clear is that Jesus had a very close and easy relationship with not only his woman friends but other women that he would meet during the course of his wanderings.
Sometimes to the consternation of his male deciples such an easy relationship was unusual at the time and when we look at the range of written Jesus memories available, especially in the 2nd Century, we find that he had a particularly close relationship with Mary Magdalen. And I long ago accepted as completely plausible the idea that Mary Magdalen and Jesus were married and I've not seen any reason to change my mind on that.
The implications, of course, are that for Jesus gender did not affect spirituality which, of course, it shouldn't. There's no theological reason why a woman should not be a priest, a bishop or even a pope. I think the exclusion of women from power in the church structure as it developed has to do with a very material desire for control and has nothing whatever to do with spirituality which means that all the arguments today over the role of women in the church are based on a total fallacy.
Burke, Va.: How is the Da Vinci Code copyright infringement? Often an author will use the ideas and information another author wrote about, as in Wicked, which uses the Wizard of Oz as a starting point.
Michael Baigent: Generally, when other authors use someone else's material they acknowledge it and often purchase a license to use it. For example, when Columbia Pictures decided to make a film of The Da Vinci Code they asked permission of Dan Brown. The licensing allowing the exploitation of creative work is at the very heart of our entire publishing industry. That's the way it works.
San Antonio, Tex.: In what ways is your latest book "The Jesus Papers" distinctly different from "Holy Blood, Holy Grail?" Do you discuss the Merovingian blood lines and Templars in your second book? What is the Italian site you explore in your second book? How many months of your life have you devoted to exploring these ancient sites, pursuing your research? How explosive were the Gnostic Gospels when they were discovered in the 1940s?
Michael Baigent: My new book is focused entirely on Jesus, his spirituality and the rise of Christianity. That raises the very important question, what exactly was Jesus teaching? And it is this that is a major focus of my new book.
What is clear is that Jesus was interested in taking every man or woman to an experience of divinity for themselves. It involved initiation. What is interesting is that this kind of approach to divinity existed in similar forms in many other ancient traditions and in my book I lead the reader through to an understanding of what this meant and how it was done.
Winter Park, Fla.: I've read "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", and it seemed to me that there was a much wider subject matter than just the life of Christ. Particularly, the role of politics and patriarchy and power. How has your understanding of the complexity of religion and history shaped your world view? What is the role of the sacred for you?
Michael Baigent: The sacred is very important to me. It's crucial. I think that we need a relationship with the sacred which gives our lives meaning in the same way as we need food, air and water. It is that important and for that reason we need to approach it for ourselves. It is too important to allow someone else to tell us how to think or what to believe. We need to ask our own questions and demand our own answers.
One of my favorite quotations is from the Sufi writer Rumi who said, "Jars of spring water are no longer enough. Take us down to the river." I end my new book by saying to drink from the river is our birthright, let no one deny us that freedom.
San Antonio, Tex.: Why not file suit against Random House author Steve Berry, since his recently issued fictional work "The Templar Legacy" uses much of the Rennes-le Chateau material covered by you, Leigh and Lincoln in "HBHG?"
Michael Baigent: We don't claim any copyright over Rennes-le Chateau (a small village in the south of France). The whole subject is in the public domain.
New York, N.Y.: What do you think of G.A. Wells's works regarding the historical Jesus?
Michael Baigent: Wells denies the existence of Jesus. As far as I'm concerned, the evidence of the Roman Tecitus makes it clear that there is at least a kernal of historical truth in the stories.
Philadelphia, Pa.: On what documentation do you state that Pontius Pilate helped Jesus survive? Or is this your deduction purely on evidence that Pontius Pilate may have been known to spare people with no direct indication on what he did on Jesus's case?
Michael Baigent: Initially Jesus was operating in a political context. This we can tell because at least some of his diciples were from the zealot political movement, like Simon Zelotes and like Judas Iscariot (from Sicarii-Affection within the zealot movement). The zealot movement began in 6 A.D. with Judas of Galilee who wanted to get rid of the Roman domination of Israel. He was totally opposed to it. He asked people a very simple question but a very important one. And how they answered it could actually put their life at risk. He asked would they pay the tax to Rome. If they said yes, they were seen as an enemy and may well have been killed. If they said no, then they were a friend of the zealots. So this question was a key question in the political context of the times. It was the supremely important question which anybody had to take a position on.
So when Jesus was asked this question in the Temple of Jerusalem it was not just a cute question to which he gave a cute answer. This was a fundamentally important question which he had to treat with great delicacy. And we all know what he said. He said pay the taxes because, as Jesus said, my kingdom is not of this world.
So, on the one hand, Jesus broke, utterly, with the zealot movement, members of which would have been outraged, and probably riots were not far away. On the other hand, it gave Pilate the most extraordinary dilemma because Pilate could not cause the death of Jesus. All Rome required of Pilate was that he keep the peace in Israel and make sure the taxes were paid to Rome.
Here was a Jewish leader who was causing a problem by breaking with his supporters but at the same time supporting the paying of taxes back to Rome. Pilate had to make certain, not only that he got Jesus out of the way but that he survived. And that is the reasoning behind my view of the crucifixion.
My conclusion is that Pilate had no alternative but to arrange for a crucifixion which Jesus could survive because Pilate's job was on the line.
Fairfax, Va.: So explain what happens after the crucifixion to Jesus Christ.
Michael Baigent: An important part of my research involved asking the important question, where did Jesus learn his particular spiritual approach? And I realized that I, along with most other religious historians, had forgotten something very important. We had become too focused upon Judea and Galilee. We had forgotten the large and dynamic Jewish community in Egypt.
In Egypt at the time of Jesus, there was a type of Judeaism which was very "mystical," that is, had to do with the direct experience of divinity. We find it in such texts as "The First Book of Enoch," the writings of Philo and in particular the Therapeutae. Also, in Egypt was a functioning Jewish temple which claimed to be the only pure one -- the Temple of Onias. Since Jesus was teaching a spirituality of the Egyptian type it seems to be self-evident that he indeed went to Egypt as is recorded in the New Testament and it was there that he learned his skills.
When he survived the crucifixion, it seems to me equally plausible that it was to Egypt he went for refuge. Now further than that, I can only give what is my opinion and I have to say it is entirely speculative.
A couple of years after Jesus would have returned to Egypt there were riotings and problems between the Jewish population and the Romans in Egypt. And my feeling is that on the one hand Jesus and his family would have sought another place of safety and at the same time since he was a Jewish leader the Romans would have been very happy for him to leave Egypt.
The question arises, where was there a Jewish community where he could find refuge? The communities in Greece and northern Syria would not be attractive. The smaller community at the port of Rome seems to me not to be an attractive option. But there were very large and dynamic communities in the south of France, in particular in Marseilles and Narvonne. And they were easy to get to. Every day ships would leave Egypt sailing to the south of France.
And it is my hypothesis -- and I repeat, highly speculative -- that this is the most likely final refuge for the holy family.
washingtonpost.com: This concludes our discussion with Michael Baigent. Thank you for joining us.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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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Author Michael Baigent will discuss his new book, "The Jesus Papers," and the copyright infringement case between him and his co-author of "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" and Dan Brown, author of "The Da Vinci Code."
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Senate Votes Down Outside Ethics Office
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The Senate rejected a proposal to establish an independent office to investigate ethics complaints against its members, and then cleared the way to pass a broad-based ethics and lobbying bill this week.
On a 67 to 30 vote, the Senate defeated a bipartisan proposal to create an office of public integrity, which its backers said was designed to strengthen enforcement of Senate rules and bolster voters' trust in Congress in the aftermath of the guilty plea in January of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee had killed a similar proposal March 2 after current and former members of the Senate's ethics committee called the office superfluous. The top Republican and the senior Democrat on the ethics panel led the successful effort to bury the proposal yesterday for a second time.
The rejected measure was devised by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.). They asserted that lobbying and ethics rules need to be better enforced for the public to regain trust in congressional officials.
"The fact remains that public confidence in Congress is near an all-time low," Collins said. "Strengthening the enforcement mechanism is critical" to improving lawmakers' reputations, she added.
Government watchdog groups reacted quickly and angrily to the vote. "The Senate today is refusing to acknowledge that Congress -- in the eyes of the public -- has failed to police itself," said Common Cause President Chellie Pingree.
Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, said the vote against the office shows that the "Senate is out of touch."
Opponents of the integrity office argued that the Senate's Select Committee on Ethics is already policing complaints thoroughly and without bias, and does not need an independent office to assist its investigations. "The laws and rules are enforced," said Sen. George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio), chairman of the ethics committee. An office to conduct investigations before the ethics panel's consideration "would hurt the situation" rather than help it, Voinovich said.
Sen. Tim Johnson (S.D.), the senior Democrat on the ethics committee, agreed that a new office would "duplicate the ethics committee" and would "waste resources."
Lieberman said the proposal had been altered since committee deliberations to attract more support. The scope of the office's duties was narrowed to the Senate only, leaving the House out of the measure, and he reiterated that the office would be subordinate to the ethics committee. But Collins acknowledged that the measure from the start had faced an "uphill" climb.
The Senate also approved a proposal by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to end the practice that allows a senator to block anonymously consideration of legislation. By an 84 to 13 vote, the Senate agreed to put a stop to what are known as secret holds.
The measure would require senators to disclose publicly within three days that they are objecting to the consideration of a bill. Currently, senators can place a hold on legislation without acknowledging their action to the public or to other senators.
The Senate agreed to work on the lobbying bill after voting 81 to 16 to limit the number of amendments it will consider. The procedural vote could allow the chamber to finish the legislation as early as today, lawmakers and staffers said.
McCain complained that some key amendments are being laid aside as a result of the vote. In particular, he said he regretted that amendments that would limit earmarks -- narrowly focused appropriations -- and that would, in effect, restrict lawmakers' use of chartered jets would not be voted on as part of the bill.
The legislation as it stands would bar lawmakers from accepting meals and gifts, including sports tickets, from registered lobbyists, and would increase the disclosure that lobbyists must make to the public.
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Full coverage of Congress, including the House of Represenatives and the U.S. Senate. The Washington Post and washingtonpost.com provide analysis of Capitol Hill.
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The "War on Christmas" has morphed into a "War on Christians."
Last December, some evangelical Christian groups declared that the religious celebration of Christmas -- and even the phrase "Merry Christmas" -- was under attack by the forces of secularism.
This week, radio commentator Rick Scarborough convened a two-day conference in Washington on the "War on Christians and the Values Voters in 2006." The opening session was devoted to "reports from the frontlines" on "persecution" of Christians in the United States and Canada, including an artist whose paintings were barred from a municipal art show in Deltona, Fla., because they contained religious themes.
"It doesn't rise to the level of persecution that we would see in China or North Korea," said Tristan Emmanuel, a Canadian activist. "But let's not pretend that it's okay."
Among the conference's speakers were former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) and Sens. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) as well as conservative Christian leaders Phyllis Schlafly, Rod Parsley, Gary Bauer, Janet Parshall and Alan Keyes.
To many of the 400 evangelicals packed into a small ballroom at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, it was a hard but necessary look at moral relativism, hedonism and Christophobia, or fear of Christ, to pick just a few terms offered by various speakers referring to the enemy.
To some outsiders, it illuminated the paranoia of the Christian right.
"Certainly religious persecution existed in our history, but to claim that these examples amount to religious persecution disrespects the experiences of people who have been jailed and died because of their faith," said K. Hollyn Hollman, general counsel of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.
"This is a skirmish over religious pluralism, and the inclination to see it as a war against Christianity strikes me as a spoiled-brat response by Christians who have always enjoyed the privileges of a majority position," said the Rev. Robert M. Franklin, a minister in the Church of God in Christ and professor of social ethics at Emory University.
White evangelicals make up about one-quarter of the U.S. population, and 85 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians. But three-quarters of evangelicals believe they are a minority under siege and nearly half believe they are looked down upon by most of their fellow citizens, according to a 2004 poll.
In a luncheon speech yesterday, DeLay took issue with the "chattering classes" who think there is no war on Christians.
"We are after all a society that abides abortion on demand, that has killed millions of innocent children, that degrades the institution of marriage and often treats Christianity like some second-rate superstition. Seen from this perspective, of course there is a war on Christianity," he said.
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Sally Quinn on Author Karen Armstrong
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The Post's Sally Quinn was online Wednesday, March 29, at noon ET to discuss her Wednesday Style section article about author Karen Armstrong and Armstrong's new book, "The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions."
"After she left the convent, Karen Armstrong called herself an atheist. 'I used to hate religion," she says. "I loathed it in my angry days.'
"Seventeen books later, she is recognized as one of the great religious historians, and she has reconsidered her label. She regards herself to be deeply religious but with no denomination. 'Sometimes I call myself a freelance,' she says in her melodious English accent. 'I can't see any one of the great religions as superior to others. . . . I'm seeking to make sense of life, looking for its meaning and how we can have a better humanity.'"
Read More: A Historian's Faithful Account (Post, March 29)
Sally Quinn: Hi everyone. Thanks for joining me. I hope you enjoyed the piece about Karen Armstrong. She is one of the most inspiring writers I know and so thoughtful on the issue of religion. I look forward to your questions.
It is refreshing that The Post is doing stories on some of the major religious writers -- Bart Ehrman a few weeks ago, now Karen Armstrong. Too often the media focuses on the non-thinkers and marketers like Pat Robertson. I am hoping that Post readers will become curious and start reading the books of more thoughtful and tolerant scholars. It was enlightening to hear where she is on her personal journey.
Dare we hope that you or someone else will interview Elaine Pagels at Princeton? (I've read all her books and they are wonderful. She has a great take on the religious politics of the first century.)
And before the DaVinci Code movie comes out, how about someone explaining what's correct and incorrect about the book/movie? Bart Ehrman, coincidentally, has a short book on the subject.
Finally, it would be great if someone interviewed a religious scholar on the topic of homosexuality, especially before the Virginia constitutional amendment election. As you may know, though many people believe homosexuality is condemned in the Bible, in the words of Ira Gershwin, "It ain't necessarily so." (Humorous word alert -- one of the scholarly debates is about the meaning of the Greek word arsenokoitai.)
washingtonpost.com: A Historian's Faithful Account (Post, March 29)
The Book of Bart (Post, March 5)
Sally Quinn: Actually Elaine Pagels is next on my list though she doesn't know it yet. What I think is particularly refreshing about Karen Armstrong's view is the idea that The important this is not what you believe but how you behave. This seems to me to be seminal in terms of religious thought. So many of the problems we have today are because people don't respect the beliefs of others. My feeling is, whatever helps you make it through the night.
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.: I heard Terry Gross interview Karen Armstrong when Battle for God came out, but never read anything she wrote until 9/11. Since then, I have read everything and learned a lot about religion - and history. I really appreciate her non-polemical style. Please tell me that she will have a book signing in Washington.
Sally Quinn: She is having two book signings, one I believe on Sunday at 2pm at Borders in Tysons Corner and the other at Politics and Prose Monday night at 7pm. I agree with you that she is one of the most enlightened thinkers on the subject today. She is so rational and open minded about religion and has so much historical knowledge to back up her views. She is also very respectful of others. This is her point in this book, "The Great Transformation" which is about the cour cultures during the Axial Age which developed their own religions because of all the violence and turmoil in their worlds. It's so amazing, as she says, that with almost no contact with each other, that these cultures all came up with basically the same idea. The Golden Rule.
Washington, D.C.: While reporting & writing, was there anything that particularly surprised you about the author? Her work? Her Life? Was she what you expected? Thanks for the insights.
Sally Quinn: I had met Karen once before a year ago so I wasn't surprised by her. I think the thing that struck me the most is how open minded she is and how compassionate she is toward all cultures and all religions. She talks a lot about compassion and I think that may ultimately be her religion. Concern for others or jian ai. She really is the embodiment of her beliefs. She also has grown and changed a lot as she continues her research and writing and I admire that a lot. She doesn't get stuck in a point of view or a belief but is constantly seeking new ways to look at things.
Arlington, Va.: Hi Ms. Quinn, what made you decide to choose Karen Armstrong as a subject to write about? Thanks very much.
Sally Quinn: I am currently working on a book about religion in Washington. It is a subject that has intrigued me most of my life. I was brought up by an Episcopalian father and Presbyterian mother in nondenominational Army chapels all over the world and never really had much religious experience. Like Karen Armstrong, until recently I considered myself an atheist. It was only after I embarked on writing this book and done a lot of reading and studying that I have rejected that word. I now consider myself quite religious and spiritual although that sounds like a terrible cliche. Karen calls her self a freelancer. I was looking for something. I remember years ago seeing "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying with Robert Morse. On the way to a job interview, he is trying to pump himself up and sings to himself in the mirror, "I Believe in You." The line I liked was "you have the cool, clear eyes of a seeker of wisdom and truth. So that's what I've decided I am. A seeker of wisdom and truth. I could do worse.
Rockville, Md.: I read your column today on Karen Armstrong, which was nicely written. However, I was surprised to hear that this is a person of some renown. I read a lot, 2 or 3 books a week, on many subjects (ok, not sports) and I consider myself to be fairly religious, but I have never heard of her before. Also, as a lifelong Catholic, I thought she sounded a bit overwrought when describing her emotions at seeing Jesus on the cross. Come on now, that is hardly the only image of Jesus that is out there. If she got overly focused on that, she probably should never have been let into the convent! Really, she seemed like a well-intentioned writer, but a bit new agish. Also, her comments about Islam being a religion of peace for 1,500 would probably be strongly contradicted by most Greeks, who have had a very different experience with the followers of Islam over the past 1,500 years. Did Ms. Armstrong explain why North Africa, which was Christian for hundreds of years, is no longer and pretty much hasn't been since that "peaceful" religion moved in - and not be peaceful mean! For a religious historian, she needs to learn a bit more history!
Sally Quinn: We didn't talk a great deal about Islam but you should read her book on the subject. As I mentioned she has written 17 books. You should also read "A Spiral Staircase" about her life in the convent and her reasons fro leaving. She was only 17 when she entered and 24 when she left. When she was describing her feelings about Jesus, she was talking about her childhood reactions to him. But what is important is that she was telling the truth about her feelings. She wasn't adhering to any specific view. That is what I like about her. She is respectful of other's feelings and views. She is quite funny about Catholics in England. She says they feel persecuted and are very sensitive to criticism because they are viewed by many secular British as a bit extravagant and vulgar with all of the "smells and bells". She says she gets a lot of hate mail from Catholics because they are so sensitive and view anyone who has had a bad experience like she did and writes about it as a traitor.
Washington, D.C.: In the article, you quote Armstrong talking about how the U.S. is so much more religious than Europe. That's a really interesting observation and one that I'd like to hear more about. Has anyone speculated why?
Sally Quinn: This morning in the Washington Post there was a statistic about how 85% of Americans are Christians. Karen Armstrong says she is constantly surprised at how vibrant our religious tradition are. I've talked to many British Ambassadors in Washington who are constantly astonished about how much religion plays a part in our political life. As Armstrong says, Europe is endearingly old fashioned in its secularism. The Europeans have fallen away from religion and the church while the rest of the world is seemingly more religious. I don't know how to explain it.
Washington, D.C.: Have you read any other of Armstrong's books? If so, what are your recommendations for where to start? Also, any idea what she plans to tackle next?
Sally Quinn: I think think I would start with The Spiral Staircase which will give you an idea of who she is and how she came to her beliefs. Then I would read "The History of God." That's an amazing book. It's riveting and so comprehensive. I think then I would read this latest book "The Great Transformation" . She has a tiny book which is really good reading about Myths which came out this winter. And if you're interested "Islam" is also really interesting. Frankly I'd recommend them all. I know I can't put them down. Her next book is about Jesus .
Washington, D.C.: Ms. Quinn, what's your next project coming up?
Sally Quinn: I just mentioned that I'm writing a book on religion in Washington. But that's gong to take at least a year. I never know what I'm going to do for the Post next. Two weeks ago I had a piece on Homeland Security. This is one of my pig ongoing projects. How unprepared we are for a terrorist attack. Last week I did a piece for Style on advice to Laura Bush about how to help her husband. This week it's religion. It just depends on what I find interesting at the moment.
washingtonpost.com: Hell on Wheels (Post, March 12)
From Her Lips to His Ear (Post, March 24)
Silver Spring, Md.: Sally, it seems like you're writing (and chatting) a lot lately. Are you returning to a somewhat more regular schedule with The Post?
Sally Quinn: I was working on my book there for a while. My editor, Mary Hadar, says I'm having a little spurt. I write when I get turned on to something. Also I just started doing these on line chats and I really like doing that.
Fairfax, Va.: I am glad that you are focusing on serious religious discussion. Too many newspapers lack writers who can write respectfully and knowledgeably about religion. As someone else noted above, too much attention is given to dogmatic people such as Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, etc. I also think much attention is paid to vaguely "spiritual" new agey people like, well, Karen Armstrong.
There are great religious thinkers out there who are neither vague nor extremist. Many write for FIrst Things journal--Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, etc. They also have interesting and intelligent viewpoints which do not show up in the media. It is a pity and a loss.
Sally Quinn: I agree with you that newspapers don't write enough about serious religious issues. I know the Washington Post is making a major effort to do a lot more comprehensive coverage of religion and people's beliefs. I'm interested that you would call Karen Armstrong's beliefs new agey. Her books are so straightforward and concrete in their facts. Actually her views are old agey. Her views are more those of the Axial Agers who formulated their beliefs between 900 BCE and 200. It was then that people began to think that their multiple Gods weren't working and that they needed to formulate another set of beliefs to respond to the violence and chaos of their lives. As she points out it was astonishing that four cultures would come to the same set of beliefs independently. Most of them felt that the only thing that would work was to have concern for others, be respectful of others, have compassion for others. As I said at the beginning of this chat, it was basically "The Golden Rule" which was first posited by Confucius. The Axial Agers believed that the world was full of suffering, or as the Indians called it dukkha and that everyone had to find a way to deal with it personally. They were not condemning of the beliefs of others. It wasn't about what you believed as much as how you behaved. Her view is that given the conditions in our world today, which mirror those of the Axial Age, we could take a lesson from them and begin to respect others and honor their beliefs as well as ours. I don't see what is new agey about that.
Alexandria, Va.: My impression of Karen Armstrong is that she dislikes Christianity, although that might be based on books written in her atheistic stage. I didn't know she was in a new phase.
I agree with a previous poster about Islam being viewed as a peaceful religion. In some ways, it no doubt is. However, it certainly spread itself by the sword. Also, having lived for several years in Saudi Arabia, I must say that I found no tolerance there.
Sally Quinn: I don't think Karen dislikes Christianity at all. I think she is very respectful of it. I think what she doesn't like about some Christians is their intolerance toward others. Her views of Jesus were formed as a child when she said she found him "scary". She says that she used to call herself an atheist but she has definitely been out of that phase for a long time and now calls herself very religious. It's what her whole life is about.
As for Islam, I don't think she is talking about the practice in some parts of the world of modern day Islam but about what the prophet Mohammed believed and what is in the Koran.
Virginia: What religion is Karen Armstrong? Catholic, Jewish, Protestants???
Sally Quinn: I don't think she would identify herself with any religion at all now. I asked her about rituals and she said that her favorite ritual when she was in the Convent was the singing of Gregorian chants. She said that when she was chanting she felt very spiritual. She feels that religious rituals are very important. Interestingly, she says the times she feels most religious are when she is in her study working on her books on religion. You should see her face when she describes what it is like. "I long for it. I long for it," she says with such passion. She says that when she is studying religion and researching it that she opens up to so many new ideas and feelings and beliefs. She is very much of the idea that religion is something that you need to do in silence. She believes silence is deeply important in all of our lives. That we live in such a noisy world that we need to stop and just let things happen. Let it grow. She says that when we stop and reflect things begin to happen and sometimes we get the essence of God when we are just quiet. As you know, she doesn't define God. God is very personal she says and each one of us must have our own idea of what God is to us.
Charlotte, N.C.: Secularism in Europe: I'm not a historian, but it seems to me that having state churches, which is the norm in Europe, certainly stifles religious expression. The vibrancy of American religion is, I think, due to its separation from the state, so that it has to work for its bread. Just a thought.
Sally Quinn: I think you're right bout that. I just had a thought that perhaps religion is so vibrant here is because of the melting pot aspect to our society. WE have so many cultures here in the US and they all bring something new to their religious experiences. So those who are religious or who have any beliefs have so much to choose from. I think the Catholic and Protestant churches have become very stagnant. Armstrong thinks that one of the reasons the Europeans don't like the Muslims is because they are religious. Americans like the fact that they are religious. They just don't like the form it takes.
14th and U Streets, N.W., Washington, D.C.: I guess I will have to read Armstrong's new book to see what she says about Axial Age religions and women. I read her book on Buddha and heard her speak about it several years ago. I believe I heard her say that one thing the Axial Age religions had in common was low standing for women in public and private life. If we are in for a new period of religiosity in response to the current sorry state of the world, must it follow that women are diminished? Thanks for a wonderful article, BTW. (PS: I still have fond memories of your book "We're Going to Make You a Star.")
Sally Quinn: Thanks so much. You bring up a good point about women. And you're right that the Axial Agers put women in a second class position. But certainly, in suggesting that we learn lessons from them, she is not suggesting that women return to their lesser roles. I think, certainly in the more civilized societies, women's roles are growing in power all of the time. It is only in the fundamentalist religions that women are relegated to second class. Radical Evangelicals, Muslims, and Jews all have the same view of women. But I think this Second Axial Age we could be entering will have women in most of the roles of power because it is clear that men are not doing the job. Women will have all the power one day anyway. It's just a matter of time.
Charlottesville, Va.: Thanks so much for this article, and for the information about Karen Armstrong - I had never heard of her before, somehow, and I love her articulation of how we must avoid passing on the pain we ourselves suffer. Will hope to make it to her signing, but, in the meantime, thank you and Ms. Armstrong - this article spoke to a lot of my struggles in this area, and particularly to my concern about competing versions of God.
Sally Quinn: I'm so glad you feel that way because I felt the same way reading her books. I had never really been able to articulate my feelings and beliefs and views until I began reading her and it seems that she has allowed me to arrive at a certain clarity that has been exhilarating to me. Of course she has been thinking about this subject all of her life and I've just begun to explore these questions but I did feel somewhat liberated when I started to read her. She is very wise.
Falls Church, Va.: Dear Ms. Quinn,
There is a need for separation of church and state in government, but not in public discourse. Previous writers have alluded to the subject, but would you care to comment more on the history of the Post in terms what might be called a fear of discussing the effects of faith and belief on the front page?
Sally Quinn: I think there is a difference between commentary and reporting and reporting goes on the front page. But I agree that reporting of these issues will bring about more discussions which is always a good thing.
Virginia: It seems a big leap to go from being an atheist to a believer. Can you describe more how she made this transition in her life?
Sally Quinn: I think she went from being a devout Catholic while she was in the convent to being turned off by the dogmatism of organized religion which sent her in the opposite direction. Then over the years while writing and researching and reporting and thinking about religion she arrived at a different view. I don't think it's so hard to understand. The same thing happened to me.
Arlington, Va.: Generally speaking, do you - as a reporter - think religious issues are covered in the news enough? I know this is a broad question, but curious as to your thoughts - thanks.
Sally Quinn: My feeling is that a newspaper should serve its readers and it just seems to me that given what is going in the world, people are hungry for something. Everyone seems to be searching and yearning for answers whatever they may be. And that ends up being some kind of spiritual or religious belief. So no, I don't think we cover religion enough. But as I said, the Post is moving in that direction more and more.
Las Vegas, Nev.: I have read four of Karen Armstrong's books and really admire her work. She has had an influence on my thinking as well as the religious world in general. Given this acceptance, doesn't she consider herself a failure since she voluntarily left the order and then failed to complete requirements for the doctorate? Admittedly, She did not find success in romance either. Has any of these life-traumas impacted her writing?
Sally Quinn: I certainly wouldn't consider anyone who had had so many hugely important and successful books a failure! I should be such a failure. Not only does she write but she is a very popular and sought after speaker on the subject and is on all kinds of commissions to advise world leaders. She is one of the world's most prominent religious scholars. I think she is philosophical about her not being married. She is wedded to her career. She has also helped so many people in the world to find clarity in their own views and beliefs that I think she has achieved something most people could never dream of.
Chantilly, Va.: I just don't get religion. I've never understood why people need to make up implausible stories just to make themselves feel better about mortality or evil or bad things happening to good people. Am I unusual?
Sally Quinn: Not at all. In fact, so many people I know, even those who call themselves religious, don't get it either. Karen Armstrong said that when she was in the convent and trying to pray and nothing was happening that she wondered if all the other nuns were having the same problem. Was it a case of the Emperor has no clothes. I do think that many religious people have enormous doubts. But I think that obviously humans find it very difficult to believe that there is no there there. So they created these stories and myths to give their lives some meaning. Everyone gets meaning in different ways. I have a labyrinth in the country in our weekend house and I get an enormous sense of peace and calm by walking it and meditating on things that are bothering me. I don't get that anywhere else. Some people get it by inviting friends over and sharing a meal, or playing a sport or arranging flowers or listening to music or dancing. (I dance) When you say you don't get religion, you're just saying that you don't get organized religion. You're not alone.
Salt Lake City, Utah: Sally, Your book on dinner parties is so helpful, humorous, witty, and, yes, elicits pathos, I am still referencing it and referring it to friends to read. Will listen to your fashion commentary with a smile.....
Sally Quinn: Thank you. Funny you mention my dinner parties when I have just suggested that inviting close friends over to share a meal with candlelight and wine at your table could be a form of religious experience for some people To me it's a form of sacrament.
Sally Quinn: Thank you all so much for your questions. I look forward to doing another chat soon. Sally Q
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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 Post's Sally Quinn discussed her Wednesday Style section story about author Karen Armstrong.
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Rollins Live, Again (Updated 4.18.06)
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Henry Rollins will be online Wednesday, March 29, at 3 p.m. ET to discuss his new, expanded show on the Independent Film Channel (IFC), "The Henry Rollins Show." The new expanded format incorporates an eclectic selection of musical acts (Sleater-Kinney, John Doe, Frank Black, Jurassic 5, Dashboard Confessional, Ben Folds, Death Cab for Cutie) and a wider range of celebrity guests (Ozzy Osbourne, Chuck D, Werner Herzog, Oliver Stone).
Rollins is an actor, musician and spoken word artist. His one-man shows address topics ranging from politics to the environment to sexuality to his own neuroses. Since the beginning of the war in Iraq, Rollins has also toured with the USO to perform for troops in the Gulf.
" The Henry Rollins Show " premieres on IFC Saturday, April 1, at 10 p.m. ET. Rollins was last Live Online in January ( Transcript ).
Henry Rollins: Hello, it's Henry. Nice to be doing this again with you all.
Alexandria, Va.: I'm glad that you are doing a film-focused show on IFC. My friend and I often argue over the definitive Marlon Brando film performance. I say it's "A Streetcar Named Desire" while my friend says it's "On the Waterfront." I think it doesn't get any more guttural or "real" than Brando's Stanley in "Streetcar." Just raw emotion. That is ground zero for film acting as far as I'm concerned. What do you think?
Henry Rollins: I would be in agreement on Streetcar. As a guy, I look at Brando as Stanley Kowalski and I want to be him. He's so great. Chicks must have dug him them. And the performance. There was nothing like that before that I know of. He really caused quite a sensation. It's a hell of a movie.
New York, N.Y.: What's your favorite part of your new show? Do you pick the guests yourself?
Henry Rollins: My favorite part is the teeing off section where I just get to say what I want. The second part is the interview and, yes, I pick the guests.
In April, Oliver Stone, Chuck D, Ozzy Osbourne and Werner Herzog -- which is a huge deal for me. I'd never met him and he is one of my film heroes.
Leesburg, Va: Any chance you'll show clips from your appearance on the kids show, Pancake Mountain during your new show?
Henry Rollins: No. As much as I like doing the Pancake Mountain stuff, there's no need to show it on my show.
Seattle, Wash.: Will Heidi be returning to the new version of your show?
Henry Rollins: Oh ya, Heidi is our host for the bands, so she's with them when they're playing. They're shot in a different location -- in a big practice place downtown in LA. Heidi is the host for that and she's perfect for that because she knows music.
Burtonsville, Md.: I had IFC. I loved IFC, but some years back Comcast in Montgomery County killed IFC in favor of the Sundance Channel. How can I get IFC in Montgomery County now short of switching to satellite?
Henry Rollins: I am so not the guy to ask.
Richmond, Va.: I saw your interviews in the documentary about the evolution of "punk" rock, can you describe how the movement has been mainstreamed and if that has had any effect on your music?
Henry Rollins: Well, it has been mainstreamed or absorbed into the mainstream and I think that happens when any thing is around for long enough -- someone figures out how to make a buck and suddenly the movement has clothes and accessories. This could be rap -- all this stuff started as street level music. And come on, there's so much money in the marketing of the rap lifestyle.
Punk to a lesser degree is the same. It's just not as costly.
How does it affect what I do? Not really at all. I don't really care what other people are doing.
New York, NY: Hi Henry:
I'm a huge fan of your music. When I was a student in Washington in the late 1970's you worked at the Haagen Dazs on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown. Do you recall those days with any fondness? And do you miss living in Washington at all?
Henry Rollins: I recall those days with great fondness, I think of them often and when I am in D.C. in my old neighborhood I miss it. Someday I would like to live there again.
Richmond, Va: For those of us who enjoy your spoken word, but know very little of anyone else in that field, who would you recommend?
Henry Rollins: I don't really follow it, honestly. I'm not trying to say I'm unique, because I'm not. I just call what I do a "talking show," but if Ian Mackaye comes to your town doing one of his Q&A's, that's a really fun night. I just saw it here in New York a few months ago and it was fantastic.
You've been my girlfriend's hero ever since you and Black Flag played in Albuquerque in the early 1980s. For her, I'm going to replace the Three Stooges with your new show in the TiVo listings...
You've been my girlfriend's hero ever since you and Black Flag played in Albuquerque in the early 1980s. For her, I'm going to replace the Three Stooges with your new show in the TiVo listings...
Syosset, NY: IFC is such a cool channel. Were you a fan of that network already and that's why your show is there? How did you end up there?
Henry Rollins: Yes, I was a fan of the channel before we got the show on and the reason we got on to IFC was very simple -- we showed them the demo and they expressed interest and gave us money for a longer, better demo. They approved of that and gave us the first season. We all figured this is where we would be not hassled and we were right.
Washington, DC Bubba: Morrissey and The Cure send their regards. (Based on your supreme dislike for them on your many spoken word CDs) What's your take on the current state of music? Who's on your iTunes--recently downloaded menu?
Henry Rollins: I don't hate the Smiths or the Cure at all. I think -- especially Morrissey -- is very creative and brilliant. It's that downward spiral, down in the mouth thing they had going for years which I could just not leave alone. I had to take a couple of shots at it. But I hold no malice toward either party at all.
I don't download music. I just upload CDs I own. Well, the thing I'm listening to right now is the new Fall album called "Fall Heads Roll."
Minneapolis, Minn: When you do the USO tour, are there any common themes or topics you hear when talking to people stationed overseas? Are they as polarized about the situation as people at home seem to be?
Henry Rollins: No. By and large the take on the war that I got from the soldiers was coming from people who are so deep in the middle of it and in the belly of it that it's not an agreement or disagreement with it. It's a "get it done without getting killed" sentiment. Where a political point of view is almost privileged, because you have the time to articulate it -- these men and women are busy watching their ass. I more heard about the day to day emotional and surrealness of the environment.
Washington, D.C.: So, what exactly is a "low budget Mark Twain?"
Henry Rollins: Well, someone who is wry but doesn't have quite the charm and utter genius of Mark Twain. Many of us think we have a rapier wit and are sly, but no one measures up to Twain and his amazing grace with the English language.
Bethesda, Md.: You often hear of problems with bands reunioning and playing the old numbers with new members and not the original members. Did Greg or Chuck (who sang on the west Memphis three record) had any issues with you performing Black Flag songs or for that matter the Rollins Band (ie the band you had during Weight album, who I considered the best band you had) have problems with you going on the road with Mother Su? And did you have any more Monday Night Football parties with Shatner?
Henry Rollins: Greg's not on the record, but I had to get permission from Greg for the publishing agreement. Greg liked it because we're raising money. I don't know what anyone thought about me doing those songs -- I wouldn't care what they thought about it. It was a benefit tour and we did raise quite a bit.
Yes, I've been back to Shatner's a few times. As always he's a most gracious host.
Kansas City, Mo: Loved your show on IFC I caught last weekend. I enjoyed your comments of the people working at WalMart of which I know many. I though however after speaking highly of them, referring to them as salt of the earth, you would belittle them for their right wing voting habits. If the reasons you gave are the ones you think are responsible for the red state voting they do, you oversimplify it too much.
Henry Rollins: No, what I meant is those people - they don't get a chance to read up on a lot of stuff. They're too busy working. They went with a guy who seemed strong on religion and terror and sold them a fake war. This doesn't make them stupid, but does make them victims of a guy who sold them a bill of goods.
If you asked them why they voted for Bush the reasons would be very simple and very few... god, war, safety were the perceived notions of all that.
In no way was I trying to oversimplify or belittle. Just pointing out.
It's hard to find someone below the echelon of the Fox elite who could defend Bush with any real grace past "Kerry wouldn't have been any better" and this bumper sticker type propaganda. Rarely does it sound like there's anything studied behind their arguments.
I think a lot of Americans are now seeing something different and the approval ratings now at an all-time low don't lie. Not even Zogby can make him look good.
Bowie, Md: Henry - I saw you in '02 at the 9:30 club with the Rollins Band - outstanding show and I've been looking for another ever since. Any chance of you playing in the near future with Mother Superior as the Rollins Band again?
We are busy at band practice with the Weight line-up. And it's sounding very good, I was just there.
We're looking to do a few shows in August or September.
Miami, Fla.: Who are some guests that you'd like on the show? both in terms of interviewees and bands?
Henry Rollins: Well, as far as guests, it'd be great to get David Lynch. Wes or P.T. Anderson would be fine with me. Ahmed Rashid, whose books I admire greatly. His books "Taliban" and "Jihad" I learned a lot from. Steve Coogan. Patton Oswalt -- because I think he's just brilliant.
Slayer... Bob Dylan acoustic on the show... it'd be fun to have Steve Jones and Billy Idol on the show. I got a yes out of one of them. That's all I can think of at the moment...
It'd be great to get some jazz people. There are so many who don't get enough appreciation.
It'd be great to have The Fall on the show. That'd be huge for me.
Cats?: Did I imagine this, or did you once mention in one of the talking shows that you have/had a cat?
Henry Rollins: I had a cat that was given to me in 1993 and it ran away, so long time ago.
Bethesda, Md.: Henry I have seen your spoken word about six times now. You have been saying in the last three times I have seen that you would like to move back east. Would that be a return to D.C.? And how does it feel to be on another country's terror watch list? (sorry to hear about that, btw, I think that's stupid and rotten)
Henry Rollins: Yes, I would like to get back to D.C., though I'd prefer to live in Maryland or Virginia.
It is interesting to be called in as a person of interest as I was recently in Australia for reading "Jihad". While I doubt I'll have any problems returning to Australia, the incident is indicative of the climate we're presently dealing with.
Alexandria, Va.: Your video for "Liar" is one of the best videos I've ever seen and I was excited that it was released on Anton Corbijin's DVD. I find it interesting that you chose him as a director since he is so associated with U2 and Depeche Mode--two groups I haven't heard you say much good about. Is it hard to disassociate his video work from the music?
Henry Rollins: No, I mean, he's just getting good work. He made those bands, and us, look really good. It's an honor to work with him and I hope U2 pays him what he's worth.
Alexandria, Va.: Hi Henry, it is well-known that you hate U2 and their music. In my experience, I sometimes find myself liking a song by someone I usually hate. Has there ever been a U2 song of which you thought, "that's not bad?"
Henry Rollins: Yeah, absolutely. A song called "Lemon" is a great song because Brian Eno overhauled that guitar sound so much it sounds like an interesting Eno song.
I appreciate and applaud Bono's humanitarian efforts. He seems to be working hard at helping a region and using his celebrity to do that. A nomination for a Nobel that would put him on the shelf as other winners is a little bit of a stretch for me, but I appreciate his efforts all the same.
Washington, D.C.: When will you finally run for a political office/seat?
Henry Rollins: Well, it would require me having to have a college education and knowing a few things. I don't know much and don't have a degree.
One can perhaps get more done by not being in politics. I think one can do great things by focusing on small problems and moving small mountains. In politics, there are so many cooks in the kitchen, real change may become more difficult with even the best intentions.
New York, N.Y.: You are known for being outspoken, controversial, outrageous... Won't a TV show stifle your ability to speak your mind the way you want to, what with all the censorship rules, etc...unlike with a live audience, where you can say exactly what you like...
Henry Rollins: We're not actually. We're cable -- I can say whatever I want. I called the president an a**hole on TV last year. I've never been told to kick back. IFC's asked me to be a little meaner, actually.
Arlington, Va.: Like Montgomery County above, I also live in a Comcast - no-IFC county. Will there be video highlights on a Web site somewhere for those of us unwashed heathens? I'd especially love to see the teeing off.
Henry Rollins: I believe the IFC TV site will have the unedited versions of the interviews and extra songs that the bands played.
And for those not getting the show, my apologies and I don't really know what to do about that. It's so far out of my control.
I noticed you submitted liner notes for the reissue of Black Market Baby's best, "Coulda... Shoulda... Woulda". Thanks for supporting local talent - and how about having them perform on your show?
Henry Rollins: It'd be great. Unfortunately, it's hard to get the music that you want all the time because we need the bands to be in town on the shoot days and it becomes pretty difficult.
Mahwah, NJ: How can you support mainstream, pop-punk, emo bands like Dashboard Confessional and Death Cab for Cutie by featuring them on your show? Their music is mediocre and most of their fans are 13 year old girls who are addicted to myspace. Come on Henry Rollins, I expected a better music selection coming from you. (I'll let this one slide if you blame these choices on Heidi.)
Henry Rollins: I take full responsibility.
I knew this was coming. You wrath is well-deserved. I momentarily took my hands off the wheel and my manager OK'd those two bands. While I have nothing personal against them, they would not have been on my roster. Heidi hit the roof when she saw those names, but was actually taken aback slightly by how friendly they were.
But I knew your e-mail was coming and I know there will be more like it. So yes, I suck for that one. My apologies.
You should've seen the letters I wrote Swift River (the producers) about the letters like yours I knew I was going to get.
High Bridge, NJ: What comedians do you enjoy listening to? Have any of them influenced your live show?
Henry Rollins: Comedians that are kicking and breathing. My favorite is Patton Oswalt -- I'm really enjoying his album and his Comedy Central special.
As far as an influence on stage, I don't really know. I just get out there and tell stories. I don't know. I get inspiration and bravery from guys like Bill Hicks and Lenny Bruce, but I can't say they influenced me. Inspired yes, big time.
San Clemente, Calif.: I know that you took a great interest is the Hollygrove children's home. It's abrupt closure a few months back surprised me. I cannot help but feel that those kids got dumped into our black hole of a foster care system because they were sitting on some pretty valuable real estate.
Henry Rollins: It sucks. Hollygrove went away and I think they're morphing into something else now. I've raised quite a bit of money for them over the years -- over $40,000 from my company. They did such a great job with those kids -- the hard to handle children.
Austin, Tex.: Henry, the radical right is good fuel for punk. In your opinion, how come we don't see anything now with the vitality and energy Reagan and his Nixon re-treads inspired?
Henry Rollins: I think because the times were different and there was more of a hostile reaction to what would be called punk music. Where now people who were punk rockers now have children who listen to punk rock and that being the case, it may be a little harder to make the same kind of splash as in the past.
Alexandria, Va: Kind of off-topic, but I'm a powerlifter and I know you like to lift too. What's a typical week of workouts for you? Lots of bench, squat, and deadlift? 5x5's?
Henry Rollins: I no longer lift heavy because I don't think my joints can handle it and I want to keep my shoulders. So I've dropped the poundage dramatically and lift in higher rep sets for more of a toning, cardio workout rather than for bulk.
Stafford, VA: Which do you find more enlightening, reading about new topics or holding an intelligent discussion with someone who holds a different point of view?
Henry Rollins: I like both, although I'd rather read, even if it's in opposition to what I think -- just so I can re-read it and underline it and think about it.
Also, I think in a live discussion situation, both parties may end up arguing more than discussing -- thus preventing each other from educating the other.
Rockville, Md: Was it fun giving Steve-O a tattoo while riding around in a Hummer?
It was fun to drive around in the Humvee, but it was real blood and a real needle going into a real arm, so I felt bad for the guy. Knowing I was part of mangling stevo, I didn't feel all that good about. Considering the paycheck he got from making the movie, I'm sure he's feeling a little better now.
What do you think of "Meet the Barkers" on MTV? Not so much the content, but the idea and philosphy behind a punk rock drummer doing a reality show?
Henry Rollins: I've never seen it. I don't really watch MTV at all.
Arlington, Va.: Henry, what are your favorite movies -- like top five, must watch now.
Henry Rollins: Well, Apocalypse Now is my favorite film. Probably Dr. Strangelove would be one. Seven Samurai would be one. Streetcar Named Desire. And... Animal House. I saw it first run and I watch it once a year and always laugh.
One of the greatest independent films I've seen is Sling Blade -- another one I watch every three months.
Just wanted to say that lots of us just plain voted for Bush because Kerry was a worse choice - I'm conservative, just not willing to drink Kerry's Kool-Aid.
I don't always agree with you, but I appreciate your being out there talking. You always make me think, as opposed to many current celebs, who just give me a sense of disgust. Keep it up!!
Henry Rollins: I don't think Kerry was a very good candidate, but seeing how this current administration has entered America into a frightful war in Iraq while also trying to fight the war on terror and has facilitated the outsourcing of countless jobs out of America and many other unavoidable, unspinnable horrible things done against the American people, I think at this point conservatism is only benefiting a very small and select group of Americans... while the middle and lower classes have been left to twist in the wind.
And I appreciate your letter.
Washington, D.C.: Henry, in the punk "hey day" with Black Flag, what was your favorite other "punk" band at that time. I was pretty much a black flag and X fanatic even though your styles were completely different. I do notice that you have John Doe as a musical guest on your new show. Just curious about your comments here. Long-time fan.........
Henry Rollins: Well, I too am an X fanatic. Some of the best gigs I've ever seen were X gigs. Amazing shows. I don't know what my favorite band would've been -- the Clash, the Damned.. D.C. had so many great local bands -- Bad Brains, Minor Threat -- we had all the music you needed.
Washington, DC: I kind of take exception to the comments about Dashboard Confessional and Death Cab for Cutie. True, they're mediocre at best. But they get airplay and thus introduce people to a genre to which they might normally not be exposed. Some will just like them because they're popular. Others will want to find out more about the music that influenced those groups.
Henry Rollins: Yes, that being said, Death Cab and Dashboard have a lot of outlets available to them where perhaps some of the bands that I would prioritize might not have that same access.
Washington, DC: I know you're a big book reader. What are 3 books you think every American should read?
Henry Rollins: I don't know what every American should read... but I think "Black Spring" by Henry Miller is a great read. Perhaps my favorite writer is F. Scott Fitzgerald. I don't think anyone should live their life without reading at least a few Hubert Selby novels in their lifetime.
America has given the world so many great writers, it would be impossible to talk about them in one answer or one interview or a college semester. Also the rest of the world -- there are great writers in every country. I love French, German, Japanese -- I read from all these countries.
Read, that's all you can do.
Because your talking shows are so extemporaneous, have you ever thought of offering recordings of them in the podcast format? I'd certainly be interesting in paying something to hear another two hours of live spoken-word Rollins every month or so, but you don't release live spoken-word albums with anything near that frequency.
Thanks for everything you do. You're an inspirational figure to me -- and I'm an unapologetic U2 fan!
Henry Rollins: Well, U2 and every band needs fans, so good for you.
And I am pursuing the opportunity to put out more live talking shows at a very low cost -- more than just my annual release. I'm working towards that.
Mahwah, N.J.: How many aspects of the new show do you actually control? The set? The way its edited? The title sequence? Opening music?
Do you just supply the content and then hand it over to the Swift River Productions team?
Also, do you have to get your idea approved before you shoot them? Like lets says you have a new Teeing Off, do you NEED to show a script to IFC or the production team before it gets OK'ed?
Henry Rollins: Second question first. We never go to IFC for approval. We show them and they say "cool."
As far as my control, ya, I do most of the writing for the show and anything I don't want to do, we don't. They come up with ideas, I come up with ideas. It's a collaborative venture, which I'm not used to, but I'm learning.
Henry Rollins: Thank you for sending me your questions. Thank you for your interest and it's nice to hear from so many people from the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area. You all are making me homesick.
Alexandria, Va.: I saw that Steve Buscemi will be a guest on your show. Did you discuss Tree's Lounge? It's a brilliant examination of a wasted life. Every alcoholic should have to watch it.
Henry Rollins: Buscemi had to reschedule. Mainly, we're going to talk about a film he directed called Lonesome Jim. I really liked it and am looking forward to getting the interview happening.
Rockville, Md.: Hi Henry, do you have any favorite movies about music and those who make it? Sid and Nancy jumps to mind as well as the Madchester movie Steve Coogan made a few years back.
Henry Rollins: 24 Hour Party People was really great I thought. For me, the best movies about music are in documentary form. I would rather see footage of the real people. I did think Walk the Line was pretty cool though. Great commitment on the part of the actors.
West Palm Beach, Fla.: Henry-I saw your spoken word show here last summer and was floored.
When you do your spoken word shows-what's going through your mind? Do you have an idea about the themes you'll talk about before you go onstage? Thanks!
Henry Rollins: I make an outline of stuff I want to get to when I am up there. I don't want to ramble and waste time but I also don't want to risk dialing in a show, that's no good.
Reisterstown, Md: Im currently reading "Our Band Could Be Your Life" by Michael Azzerad, and it mentioned your relationshir with Ian MacKaye. Have you two ever collaberated on any projects or worked together in a band?
Henry Rollins: Ian produced an album I did once but that's about it as far as working together. He's the man.
Washington, D.C.: Is it true that you were inspired by Charlie Harper to "live in a car?"
Henry Rollins:No! I was living in my car for a while and somehow, there was a song about it. It became my anthem. People who knew where I was living would sing the song at me, changing the word "I" to "He" and it was quite funny. I still listen to the song.
Washington, D.C.: Hey! Just watched your Luna Park monologue DVD. Where are the ice cream joint and the Italian restaurant you and Ian used to work at? You didn't mention the neighborhoods during the show.
Henry Rollins: The Ice Cream place was the Haagen Daz on Wisconsin at O street. The Italian restaurant was Enzio's, now Glover Park Books.
Rockville, Md.: Hi Henry, I'm looking forward to the new show. I hope you can devote some time each week to new bands/sounds as it's harder and harder to get to these via radio, and I only have limited bucks to spend on CDs! FYI... I'm enjoying "Weight" in my car right now... that's some good stuff!
Henry Rollins: Thanks. Best thing if you want to check out some music, you can hear my radio show for free at Indie 103.com. I have a show on there once a week Tuesday 8-10 PM Westcoast time. You can see the songs I'm playing by going to Harmonyinmyhead.com.
Richmond, Va.: I'm sure many of your fans, like myself, have been inspired by various things you've written or spoke about. I was wondering what kind of advice would you offer to those of us who work jobs we hate, and for whatever reasons, can't act on the "if you don't like it, quit it" attitude that you have expressed. Thanks.
Henry Rollins: Good question. I think you have to find a way to not be miserable and if you have a job you hate, you should look for alternatives or look for a way to make your environment better. For many years now, I have made my own jobs and invented work for myself as best I can so I can stave off the job I don't like scenario for as long as I can.
Moscow, Russia: Henry, do you get any flak from old friends or compadres for working on the USO tours?
Henry Rollins: No. I think I have made myself clear as to why I support America's Military.
Washington, D.C.: Just curious: who do you like out there, in terms of current music, that would surprise your fans.
Henry Rollins: I don't know what would surprise anyone but I think the band Deadboy and the Elephantmen are really cool.
Alexandria, Va.: If you perform several spoken word shows in a week, are they mostly the same show or can they differ greatly in the subjects you discuss?
Henry Rollins: A lot the material will be the same but I try to always fold into new ideas as often as I can. Quite often on tour, I don't see a lot besides the bus, the stage, etc. That can be limiting. I do my best to mix it up.
Washington, D.C.: Gonna put any go-go bands on your show?
Henry Rollins: I'd like to. Perhaps we can next season, if there is one. All the band stuff is now booked.
I have read some of your works and listened to a couple interviews with you and you seem to have a pretty good balance with various projects and working out, being in good physical shape, etc. I was wondering if you have a particular spiritual practice or meditation practice as well. Thanks.
Henry Rollins: No. I just do the best I can and I know that being in good health allows me to hit my deadlines and accomplish my goals. Past that, I have no beliefs or anything.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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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Henry Rollins discusses the premiere of "The Henry Rollins Show" on the Independent Film Channel.
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Patriots Harness Power of the Sons
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Larranaga relatives were everywhere last weekend: cousins, siblings, in-laws and grandparents. Elyssa Larranaga, a deputy director of scheduling in the office of Vice President Cheney, had arranged a Saturday evening tour of the West Wing for some of those family members, who were in town to watch the George Mason basketball team become the biggest sports story in the country. But shortly before the White House tour, her husband, Jon, arrived home and said he needed at least an hour to prepare a scouting report for his father.
"She looked at me like, 'You're kidding,' " Jon Larranaga said yesterday. " 'We're going to tour the White House, the Oval Office, the Situation Room, the most powerful building in the world. And you want to get on the computer to e-mail your dad stats about Connecticut?' "
Like Florida, LSU and UCLA -- the other participants in the men's Final Four -- George Mason has three full-time assistant coaches who have stopped paying their utility bills and doing their laundry while somehow coaxing George Mason to the most unlikely Final Four berth in NCAA tournament history. But the Patriots also have Coach Jim Larranaga's two sons, Jay and Jon, who have spent hours this month preparing in-depth statistical analyses and filling their father's inbox with unsolicited advice.
Before the Patriots' first-round game, Jay, 31, noticed that while Michigan State was excellent at shooting free throws, the Spartans had attempted 16 or fewer free throws in most of their Big 10 losses.
"If you know that, you just don't let them shoot 16 free throws and you win," he said yesterday. "Something like that's so profound." (The Spartans shot five free throws against George Mason and lost.)
Jon, 25, noticed that Connecticut's statistical rankings were impeccable in virtually every category, but that the Huskies had made very few three-pointers and that only Rashad Anderson was a true long-distance threat.
"Besides that, they didn't have anybody," he said. "If you're playing against a team that only has one shooter, maybe you play a little more zone that game, you shade the great shooter and keep them off the glass. Know when they shoot the three if it's not Anderson, they're probably going to miss."
Before the White House tour, Jon hurriedly prepared a brief scouting report. He sent off 467 words of advice and a statistical attachment to his father, whose reply consisted of five words: "I think you are right." (The Huskies made 2 of 13 three-point attempts in the second half and overtime against George Mason and lost.)
This is not a typical procedure, even for two sons who both call Jim Larranaga their role model. Jay, who played for his father at Bowling Green, is a professional basketball player in Italy and has two young children. Jon, who played for his father at George Mason, works for the Meltzer Group, a financial services company in Bethesda. Jay aspires to a career in coaching, and Jon is a volunteer coach for a group of eighth-graders in Northern Virginia, but neither made a habit of preparing scouting reports during the regular season.
"We do have jobs," Jon Larranaga said. "This happens to be one of the most unbelievable runs in the history of sports in the U.S., so we're trying to do everything we can to help our dad."
The family always had been obsessed with basketball; the sons took recruiting road trips with their father, and Jay thought nothing of inviting his high school sweetheart and future wife to watch the NBA playoffs with his family early in their courtship.
"They weren't cheering for anyone; they were just watching the game," Andrea Larranaga said. "After the third game that night I was like, 'All right, I'm out of here; just call me tomorrow.' And they all looked at me like, 'What? You're not going to watch the end of the game?' That was my introduction to the family. They love to watch basketball, and they love to be together."
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George Mason has a stable of assistant coaches working around the clock, but head coach Jim Larranaga gets additional help from his sons Jon and Jay.
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India Is Not a Precedent
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Imagine a huge nation, a huge democracy, increasingly prosperous, increasingly powerful and increasingly sympathetic to the ideological and strategic objectives of the United States and its democratic allies around the world. Imagine that this powerful, prosperous, democratic nation sits on the same continent with Russia and China, two huge geopolitical problems waiting to happen. Imagine that this nation possesses a navy capable of helping patrol strategically vital waterways and a military force capable of acting as a deterrent against powerful neighbors. Finally, imagine that this nation, despite its power, has no record of using it for aggressive purposes but has been a remarkably peaceful and often constructive member of the global community.
Would we or would we not want to have the closest possible relationship, partnership, even alliance with such a country as we head into an uncertain future?
The answer, as Bismarck would have said, is a no-brainer. That is why earlier this month the Bush administration made a deal with this nation, India, to provide it with civilian nuclear technology. In the process, the administration effectively let India off the hook for its decades-old nuclear weapons program and made an exception to its otherwise strict refusal to provide civilian nuclear technology to nations that do not abide by certain international guidelines. The result, critics have asserted, is that other nations may be encouraged to follow India's path and that the nuclear nonproliferation "regime" has therefore been damaged.
No doubt it has been damaged. But the question is whether the benefits outweigh the costs. I will leave to others the matter of whether this deal will really encourage, say, Brazil or South Africa to resume nuclear weapons programs they long ago abandoned, though I'm inclined to doubt it. The bigger question likely to consume endless hours of hearings on Capitol Hill in coming weeks is what effect the deal will have on the problem of Iran. Some will argue that the Indian nuclear deal harms efforts to halt Iran's nuclear weapons program because it erects a double standard: We are willing to let India do what we are not willing to let Iran do.
The question is interesting in theory. In the real world, it's not that interesting. The notion that the Indian deal will set back prospects for a diplomatic deal with Iran assumes that such prospects exist. All available evidence suggests otherwise. The Iranian government appears committed to building nuclear weapons and will not be deterred by threats -- except possibly the threat of removal by military means -- or won over by blandishments. It has risked international isolation and economic sanctions and even the remote threat of U.S. air and missile strikes to keep its program going. Are we supposed to believe that the main obstacle standing in the way of a happy resolution to the Iranian nuclear crisis is now the Indian deal?
As for double standards, yes, we have double standards. The nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty erected a gargantuan double standard. It declared that possession of the world's most devastating and militarily decisive weapons would be limited to the five nations that already possessed them. And this was a particularly mindless kind of double standard, since membership in the nuclear "club" was not based on justice or morality or strategic judgment or politics but simply on circumstance: Whoever had figured out how to build nuclear weapons by 1968 was in. At least our double standard for India makes strategic, diplomatic, ideological and political sense.
Nor should we delude ourselves that the nuclear double standard has been preserved over the years by a treaty. If other nations have denied themselves nuclear weapons programs it is because (a) they did not believe they needed them, (b) they did not have the wherewithal to build them or (c) they feared punishment at the hands of the nuclear powers if they tried to build them. To the degree that nonproliferation has succeeded, it has been due less to the treaty than to the concerted actions of the nuclear powers. And to the degree that it has failed, that is also due to the actions of the nuclear powers, which provided materials and technologies to states such as Pakistan, North Korea and Iran.
In fact, the nonproliferation "regime" may now be collapsing. That doesn't mean we should precipitously abandon it. We have an interest in slowing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the nonproliferation regime remains one tool of persuasion. But as in the past, and as always in international affairs, there must be some adjustment to reality. One aspect of the present reality is that India has long been a nuclear power, and this deal doesn't make it more of one. Another part of the present reality is that North Korea and Iran are probably going to be nuclear powers, too, and in any case the nonproliferation "regime" is not going to stop them.
Were Congress somehow to reject the administration's deal in some effort to maintain a consistent principle on nonproliferation, it would have no effect on Iran's decisions. But that futile gesture would have a devastating effect on U.S. relations with India. In our less-than-ideal world, where, we are often told, America needs good friends and allies, that would be a terrible bargain.
Robert Kagan, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and transatlantic fellow at the German Marshall Fund, writes a monthly column for The Post.
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If Congress rejects the administration's nuclear deal with India, it would have no effect on Iran's decisions -- but a devastating impact on U.S. relations with India.
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The GOP Walks A Border Tightrope
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Karl Rove must be seeing Pete Wilson in his nightmares.
President Bush's architect has been laboring to build up the GOP among Hispanic voters, and he's been succeeding: Bush won more than 40 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2004, double the level attained by Bob Dole eight years earlier. Some of that is attributable to Hispanic voters' particular affinity for Bush, a former border state governor. But the change has been marked enough to make some smart Democrats fear they're at risk of losing their hold on a large and fast-growing slice of voters.
Now, though, with thousands demonstrating against a House-passed immigration bill that is all crackdown and no mercy, Rove's project is imperiled. The GOP -- riven between an enforcement-only approach and Bush's kinder, gentler immigration reform -- is risking a national repeat of Wilson's experience as governor of California over a decade ago.
Wilson pushed for Proposition 187, the 1994 initiative to deny state services to illegal immigrants, and won -- with disastrous results for the California GOP. Hispanic turnout in the next election surged, and the GOP's share of the Hispanic vote fell, from 31 percent between 1988 and 1994 to 23 percent from 1996 through 2000.
The current immigration debate, said Leslie Sanchez, who advises Republicans on Hispanic issues, "is Prop. 187 on steroids. It's real easy for a lot of my fellow Republican pollsters to say, 'This is red meat for conservatives, let's go out and pound this issue.' The deeper ramifications are that it turns off women and other ethnic minorities and turns on Hispanics, who are now mobilized against us."
Former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie invokes as well the more recent experience of Virginia gubernatorial candidate Jerry Kilgore, who ran anti-immigration ads and lost. "Anti-immigration rhetoric is a political siren's song, and Republicans must resist its lure . . . or our majority will crash on its shoals," he told the Federalist Society last week.
The difficulty for Republicans, though, is that their short-term political interests -- winning in November -- are arguably at odds with their long-term viability as a majority party. Their base is demoralized about the party's performance and riled up about immigration. Pushing for tough restrictions and resisting anything that has the whiff of leniency toward those who entered the country illegally may be the best way for Republicans to get their voters to the polls in November. And the recent protests, as unnerving as they are for Rove's dream of a GOP-inclined Hispanic electorate, also have the perverse effect of further enraging those already inflamed about immigration.
"White suburban voters who voted for George Bush are disaffected now," says Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio. "Would I rather be talking about immigration reform with these voters or the war? Immigration reform or gasoline prices? Sometimes, in order to avoid or avert the tidal wave, you have to do things that short-term make a little more sense than they do in the long term."
Public polls bear out Fabrizio's assessment. A recent NBC-Wall Street Journal poll, for example, found that 71 percent of voters said they would be more likely to favor a candidate who supports tighter controls on immigration; just 11 percent said that would tilt them to oppose. The percentage of voters who said the government was not doing enough to secure the nation's borders has gone from 54 percent in November 2001 to 78 percent, according to a Fox News poll.
And voters, especially Republicans, are hostile to proposals to ease the legal path for those in the country illegally. A February poll by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute showed 62 percent (71 percent of Republicans and 55 percent of Democrats) opposed to making it easier for illegal immigrants to become citizens. A narrower majority, 54 percent (59 percent of Republicans, 52 percent of Democrats) opposed making it easier for illegal immigrants to work here. Some strategists argue that voters would support stepped-up enforcement plus reform, but that may contain more than a dollop of wishful thinking: Fueled by the kerosene of talk radio and cable news, this is not exactly a nuanced debate.
But if Republicans are about to hand Democrats a gift on immigration, Democrats have been treating the issue more like a hot potato. Spooked that immigration may become a GOP base-energizing issue, much like gay marriage in 2004, they are torn between trying to protect themselves against charges that they are soft on the issue and trying to seize the opportunity to attract Hispanic voters.
An illustration of that ambivalence came with the House vote in December in which 36 Democrats, including all the vulnerable incumbents, voted for the House bill. Much as with Democrats' self-imposed silence on the Bush tax cuts during the 2002 campaign, it's a bit hard to capitalize on an anti-immigration vote backed by some of your own troops.
And indeed, Democrats aren't doing much in the way of capitalizing. A New American Media poll of legal immigrants, released yesterday, found that while only 22 percent said the Republican Party was doing a good job on immigration, the approval rating for the Democrats wasn't all that impressive either: 38 percent. "There's anger out there" among immigrants, says Democratic pollster Sergio Bendixen, who conducted the survey. "But there's also a feeling that the Democrats are not much better."
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The Republican push for an immigration bill will crackdown on illegal immigrants. With 71 percent of voters favoring tighter controls on immigration, the GOP may be able to afford a loss of Hispanic voters
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OMB Head To Replace Card as Top Bush Aide
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President Bush took the first step in what aides say may be a second-term overhaul of his beleaguered administration yesterday as he announced the departure of longtime Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr.
Card offered his resignation earlier this month, saying it would be best for the president.
Bush named Joshua B. Bolten, director of the Office of Management and Budget, to replace Card, and indicated that more changes are in the offing. Card's resignation comes after a series of political missteps that have contributed to Bush's sinking approval rating and prompted some Republicans to urge a staff shake-up.
White House officials emphasized that Bolten would have the prerogative to bring in fresh staff members and revamp operations to suit his leadership style. The White House must find a replacement for domestic policy adviser Claude A. Allen, who resigned after being accused of stealing from retail stores, and now a new budget director. At least one or two other senior officials are expected to leave for their own reasons by the end of the school year this spring, a senior official said.
White House press secretary Scott McClellan would not speculate on the future of other high-level White House staff members, including Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, Bush's top political strategist, who has been under investigation by a special prosecutor in the CIA leak case.
"All of us here serve at the pleasure of the president. And that's important to keep in mind," McClellan said. ". . . But I think it's premature to try to speculate about what, if any, decisions might come."
Card, who served nearly 5 1/2 years as Bush's chief of staff, said he will stay on until April 14 to ease Bolten's transition. Speaking from the Oval Office, Bush thanked Card for his "wise counsel, his calm in crisis, his absolute integrity, and his tireless commitment to public service."
Bush went on to describe Bolten as a "creative policy thinker" who is an expert on the budget and economy and who has earned the respect of Congress and knows how to lead. "No person is better prepared for this important position," he said.
In picking Bolten, Bush once again chose not to reach beyond his inner circle to fill a critical post. With many Republicans concerned that Bush's flagging popularity will hurt them in this fall's midterm elections, some have been urging him to select a seasoned Washington veteran the way Ronald Reagan brought in former Senate majority leader Howard H. Baker Jr. (R-Tenn.) when his presidency's second term was listing.
But Bush instead turned to someone he knows and trusts implicitly. A confidant of the president's, Bolten, 51, served as deputy White House chief of staff in Bush's first term before moving to head the budget office at a time when spending on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the expensive new Medicare prescription drug benefit and the recovery from Hurricane Katrina, caused deficits to spiral.
In an attempt to accommodate the new spending demands, Bolten oversaw two consecutive budgets that reduced spending on many housing, education and other social-service programs. Still, many Republicans in Congress have complained that the administration has not done enough to rein in federal expenditures.
Taking the microphone after Bush's announcement, Bolten said he was "deeply honored" by the opportunity to succeed Card. "The agenda ahead is exciting," he said. ". . . I am anxious to get to work."
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President Bush took the first step in what aides say may be a second-term overhaul of his beleaguered administration yesterday as he announced the departure of longtime Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr.
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Bringing Evolution, Not Revolution
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Joshua B. Bolten doesn't find it fun to say no. He once called himself a "softer person" than his predecessor as White House budget chief.
But he has found his own ways to make a point. He shows up at policy meetings with a giant calculator to add up the cost of anyone's ambitious ideas. And when someone strays off course, he throws a yellow penalty flag onto the conference table like a football referee.
Now it has fallen on this dry-witted Washington native to get the White House itself back on course. Tapped by President Bush yesterday to replace White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr., Bolten will take over a political operation gone astray -- mired in an overseas war, stalled in its domestic agenda, sagging in the polls and alienated from congressional Republican allies.
Like Card, Bolten is a Bush loyalist, known as self-effacing and efficient, not especially ideological, not a promoter of his own agenda, a quiet professional in a town filled with vast egos. Yet this workaholic bachelor and self-described "policy geek" in glasses is the picture of contradictions. Bolten, 51, spends his few off-hours racing down the highway on his prized Harley-Davidson Fat Boy or bowling in the White House alley or banging out tunes in a rock band he named Deficit Attention Disorder.
His office in the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House attests to his personality. Rather than stock it with pictures of Bush, as many aides do, Bolten hung a large portrait of Eisenhower in military uniform above the fireplace and put a Harley-Davidson book on the mantle. Nearby is a motorcycle menorah. Not one to take himself too seriously, Bolten even hung a drawing by a niece that a visitor recalled was titled "Uncle Josh's Poop Calendar."
"He is very funny, he always kept the staff laughing," said Assistant Secretary of State Kristen Silverberg, who worked for Bolten during the 2000 presidential campaign and Bush's first term. At the same time, she said, "Josh has a great moral core" and a passion for bold ideas. "If you had to pick one person who was the architect of all the big first-term domestic policy initiatives," it would be Bolten.
Karl Rove, Bush's political adviser, said Bolten will reinvigorate the White House.
"People get energized -- new leadership has a way of doing that," Rove said. "He has strong views, but he is very adept at not allowing them to short-circuit a robust policy process." Bolten encourages aides to propose ideas he disagrees with, Rove added. "He would challenge them to think outside the box."
Yet Bolten was hardly an outside-the-box choice. He is not the Washington graybeard many Republicans urged Bush to recruit. By most accounts, Bolten will bring evolution, not revolution. Within hours of his appointment, talking points distributed among Democrats described his selection as rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
"He strikes me as pretty much cut from the same bolt as Andy Card, so I don't see this as a shift by the White House, replacing one insider with another," said Rep. John Spratt (S.C.), ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee. But Spratt expressed "high regard" for Bolten: "He's bright, a quick study, yet cool and unflappable."
The son of a career CIA officer and a George Washington University teacher, Joshua Brewster Bolten grew up in Washington, attending public schools until enrolling at St. Albans for high school. After earning degrees at Princeton University and Stanford Law School, Bolten returned to Washington to work as a lawyer at the State Department and the Senate Finance Committee.
"He has this ethic of public service in his bones," said Daniel Price, a longtime friend.
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Latest politics news headlines from Washington DC. Follow 2006 elections, campaigns, Democrats, Republicans, political cartoons, opinions from The Washington Post. Features government policy, government tech, political analysis and reports.
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First Buddy - washingtonpost.com
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Andrew Card didn't lose a job yesterday, he made a friend.
"Mr. President, as the chief of staff, I know I was a staffer," Card said yesterday in his resignation speech, "and now I look forward to being your friend."
The bright line between working for the president and being friends with the president has always been a big deal to Card, who is known for being enthusiastically humble. He liked to emphasize the "staff" in his title, rather than the "chief." In an interview on C-SPAN last year (in which he twice called himself "just a staffer") Card said he fought a "great temptation" to become buddies with the leader of the free world.
This, it turns out, is a White House occupational hazard.
"It's always easy to assume a friendship that's not helpful because you're with the president so closely in so many tense situations -- it's like being in a foxhole together," says Marlin Fitzwater, who served as press secretary to Ronald Reagan and the first President Bush. "On airplanes, in holding rooms, getting ready to make a speech, late at night, early in the morning, when everyone's tired, and in a lot of human settings."
The human element always makes things messy. Presidential staffers have to remind themselves they serve the office as much as an individual. The president is always "Mr. President" unless one happens to be the first lady. To this day, Mack McLarty, Bill Clinton's first chief of staff, still calls his boyhood friend and former kindergarten classmate "Mr. President," even in private.
When he became president, Jimmy Carter insisted that the friends who followed him to the White House still call him "Jimmy," says Gerald Rafshoon, who served two years in the administration as communications director. Rafshoon, who had served Carter when he was governor of Georgia, demurred.
He also struggled with just how to speak to his "friend," after vowing to himself that he would give Carter unfiltered advice.
"Once I got to the Oval Office, the atmosphere was such that I was intimidated," Rafshoon says. "If there were other people there, I would come back later."
The distinction between friend and Mr. President is more than semantic, as many who have served at the pleasure of presidents can testify. There's a respectful distance not only in the Oval Office, but during dinner with the president and his family, says former George H.W. Bush aide Mary Matalin. This protects the president -- and his staff, too.
"There are times when you have to be an SOB on behalf of the president," says Leon Panetta, who served as Clinton's chief of staff for 2 1/2 years. "It helps to have that professional distance."
A staffer who's not properly deferential, who doesn't emphasize the professional over the personal, risks assuming power he doesn't have, or not giving the president frank advice, or being surprised when the president decides his assistance is no longer needed.
Case in point: the late Don Regan, Reagan's imperious chief of staff, whom some used to call the "prime minister." Regan feuded with the first lady (once hanging up on her) and was said to have stormed out of the White House after learning he'd lost his job. Nancy Reagan later wrote that Regan, a former Merrill Lynch CEO, "often acted as if he were the president."
As a staffer, "you're always deferential, meaning you're not the decision-maker, meaning you don't take credit for decisions," Fitzwater says. "Don Regan had trouble with those things."
Card, who served for almost six years before being replaced yesterday by White House budget chief Joshua Bolten, never had that kind of trouble. He often reminds people about the lowfalutin jobs he has held: at a McDonald's in Columbia, S.C. (rising as high as night manager), and one summer as a sanitation worker near his home town of Holbrook, Mass. He romanticizes the work to underscore the importance of getting dirty jobs done, be it on a garbage truck or in the White House.
As for President Bush, he's always liked loyalists -- people like Card, whose ambitions are tied wholly to the president's own success. He and Card and their wives have known one another for more than 20 years. If the men haven't been friends, exactly, they've had about as close a nonfriendship as a boss and an employee can have.
"I worry about the care and feeding of the president," Card said last year in the C-SPAN interview. "I greet him first thing in the morning and I say good night to him when he goes off to go home for the night. He probably sees much more of me than he wants to."
Then Card added, in what sounds like a strange distinction to anyone who doesn't understand the relationship between the president and a chief of staff: "The president is my friend and I do not want to let him down. But I am not his friend, I am a staffer."
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Andrew Card didn't lose a job yesterday, he made a friend.
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PBS Frontline/World: 'The Unexpected Candidate'
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PBS Frontline producer Ofra Bikel was online Wednesday, March 29, at 10 a.m. ET to discuss the film "The Unexpected Candidate," which profiles Israeli candidate Ehud Olmert. Bikel, a native of Israel, is a close personal friend of Olmert's wife, Aliza Olmert , who has often disagreed with her husband about Israel's stance on borders and other political issues.
PBS Frontline's "The Unexpected Candidate" will air Tuesday, March 28, at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings).
Oslo, Norway: Why has Israel not moved to destroy Hamas? Why must people never learn from history and not confront evil forces until its too late? Hamas has made it clear that they wish to destroy Israel and nothing is done.
Ofra Bikel: Israel cannot afford to destroy everybody who threatens to destroy Israel. There would be very few countries left.
Wheaton, Md.: Why do so many in Israel still support land for peace policies when the terrorists make it clear they see all of Israel as "occupied Arab territory?" If appeasement didn't work with Hitler, why does anyone in Israel think it would work with Hamas and other like-minded terrorists?
Ofra Bikel: Many Israelis feel that they have tried everything. They tried to occupy Arab territories, and that didn't work. They don't consider it "appeasement". They consider it more or less a way to live in peace and security.
Caracas, Venezuela: How much longer will it be before Israel confronts Iran?
Ofra Bikel: Who knows. I did not hear of any plans to confront Iran in Israel.
Washington, D.C.: Whatever happened to former Ambassador to the U.S. Zalman Shoval?
Ofra Bikel: He lives happily in Jerusalem.
Homer, N.Y.: Do you really think that the new Palestinian government will submit to a workable peace plan now the most radical elements have won election?
Ofra Bikel: We hope so. It's a very good question. Nobody knows, but people are not very optimistic here.
Milan, Italy: Since the Kadima party supported expelling Jews from Gaza in the name of peace, why not expel Arabs from within the pre-67 Israeli borders? Why is "peace" always based on Jews leaving and Arabs living wherever they want?
Ofra Bikel: It's not very democratic to expel Arabs from the pre-67 borders.
Washington, D.C.: Did you ask Olmert if he has second thoughts about opening the tunnel in Jerusalem? His friends warned him not to do it and it led to so much pain and suffering and loss of life.
Ofra Bikel: No he doesn't have second thoughts.
Ofra Bikel: I think he thought he did the right thing. He feels he mis-estimated Arafat. Olmert thought it would be good for tourists, a completely harmless act. And so did the security forces for some reason. Olmert says that Arafat used the opportunity to inflame the situation.
San Francisco, Calif.: If Ehud and Aliza Olmert are just a political odd couple, how and where did they first meet and what was the attraction? Do they also have an adopted daughter?
Ofra Bikel: They are not an odd couple. They met in college, they love each other ,and they disagree on certain things. And they do have a foster daughter besides their 4 other children.
Washington, D.C.: Fantastic show. Olmert's saying that it was his family that tolerated diversity within by accepting him even though they could not vote for his party when he was a member of Likud showed I think both his practicality and his ability to look at reality in an unconventional way. I could see a man with that approach looking at a map and the demographics and saying, "I can't be in favor of a Jewish democracy and keep all of the land." Pragmatic and unconventional.
Ofra Bikel: I'm so glad you think so. Thank you so much.
Ofra Bikel: I would be interested to know what your impressions of Olmert are, after watching the film.
Alexandria, Va.: How do you think the new governments of Hamas and Olmert coming to power at around the same time will impact the peace process overall? In this case, is change a good thing? Or is Olmert not really seen as a "change" from Sharon?
Ofra Bikel: The first one, Hamas, we don't know the outcome. It depends on Hamas and what they're going to do. If they want to follow through on their idea of sending Israel into the sea it's one thing. If they want to run the state peacefully, it's another thing. I think the fact that Olmert changed is a good thing.
Washington, D.C.: What do you know of Sharon's condition currently? Has he shown any decline or improvement?
Ofra Bikel: We don't know anything. He's in a deep coma as far as everybody knows.
Demographic forces strongly suggest that at some point Israel will have to choose between Democracy and ethnic pluralism. And by ethnic pluralism I mean abandoning the notion of Israel as a "Jewish state" and accepting that it is a "Jewish and Arab/Palestinian" state. The latter re-characterization could even lead to eventual re-unification of Israel and the West bank/Gaza territories.
Ofra Bikel: That's exactly what Olmert was saying. They have to choose between a smaller state - a Jewish, democratic state, as opposed to a larger Jewish/Palestinian state. They want to be a smaller, Jewish, democratic state.
Washington, D.C.: As a native of Israel, how long did you live there? Do you live there or visit often now? What was it like during your growing up years to have the threat of violence a continuing issue in your country?
Ofra Bikel: It is too long a story to answer all that. But yes, I'm a native of Israel and I come here often. And no, I didn't live in fear when I was growing up.
Arlington, Va.: Can you describe Benjamin Netanyahu's current role in the government, and what he has been involved in since leaving office as Prime Minister?
Ofra Bikel: He's in a terrible situation. If he wants he can stay the head of Likud I suppose, but it's been shattered to pieces. If he doesn't want, he can leave. He's still the head of Likud, which was smashed.
Hamilton, N.Y.: Hi Ofra, a bit off topic, but I can't resist. Any thoughts on the Harvard/Chicago paper on Israeli lobbying in the U.S.? Is this getting much play in Israel?
Ofra Bikel: No it's actually not getting much play in Israel.
Annapolis, Md.: Did you feel at all constrained as a journalist when making the film given your friendship with them personally? How did it affect your portrayal of Olmert, and have you heard any feedback from them?
Ofra Bikel: I didn't feel any constraints at all. It wasn't broadcast in Israel yet. Olmert has not seen any part of it at all. I'm not quite sure how they feel about it.
Washington, D.C.: What do you see as the next step now that he and the Kadima party have won? Any major shifts in policy that you can foresee?
Ofra Bikel: Now they have to make up the coalition. They don't have enough to make a coalition -- they need 61. They have 28. In order to form a government they have to have 61.
Baltimore, Md.: After this film, what is your next project for PBS about?
Ofra Bikel: I don't know yet. Do you have any ideas for me?
Washington, D.C.: How would you evaluate the relationship of the U.S. and Israel now as compared to the past? Stronger? Weaker? How has it changed since the establishment of Israel?
Ofra Bikel: I think it's stronger. In 58 years, everything has changed. The US presidents change, policies change. America was always very pro-Israel. I think it's very close. They have the same problem with terror, and this makes for perhaps a closer relationship.
Arlington, Va.: How much influence does Aliza Olmert have over policy? Does he consider her an adviser?
Ofra Bikel: It's a very hard question to answer. She has no overt influence on policy at all - she's an artist. Does he consider her an advisor? She's not a political advisor. But they've been married for 35 years. As she says in the film, for a long time she had absolutely no influence over his policies. Now she has to figure out what she's going to do, if she wants to be involved in any way.
Ofra Bikel: I have to leave Israel to go back to New York tonight, so I thank everybody for having watched it, and the interest you expressed in it. If you haven't watched it yet, the DVD is available from shoppbs.org, and you can watch it online April 4 at http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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/World producer Ofra Bikel discusses the film "The Unexpected Candidate," which profiles Israeli candidate Ehud Olmert.
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Sergeant Leaves Legacy of Valiant Service
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D.C. police Sgt. Gerard W. Burke Jr. received all of the tributes and pageantry yesterday that go with a memorial service for an officer who died while performing his duties: the honor guard poised with flags and rifles, colleagues in dress blue uniforms and white gloves, and crisp salutes as his coffin was carried from the church. A police helicopter did a flyby overhead.
But what happened next was extraordinary.
Police officials played an audiotape of Burke's last call to dispatchers over loudspeakers on the street outside St. Patrick Catholic Church in Northwest Washington. The recording captured the sergeant trailing a stolen car Thursday night. It was his day off, and he was heading to the airport to catch a plane. But he wanted dispatchers to summon uniformed officers to make the traffic stop.
During that short call, Burke ruptured a major blood vessel. He can be heard gasping for air before crashing his SUV into some parked cars. He later died at a hospital. The tape brought tears to the eyes of fellow officers attending the service and construction workers at a nearby building who had halted work to observe the ceremony.
"It was very touching," Detective Kirk Delpo said.
Delpo was among the hundreds of officers, civic leaders and friends who gathered yesterday morning to pay homage to Burke, 39, a 16-year veteran of the force known for his dedication to duty and his community. He was a vigorous officer who carried a sledgehammer in the trunk of his cruiser to break down doors, when necessary, to execute search warrants.
D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey, who recounted the chill he felt when he listened to the 911 tape Friday morning, called Burke a "person who took action and wasn't afraid to do what needed to be done," even on his day off.
On the tape, Burke gave "very clear and concise direction" to help dispatchers send officers to the right spot on 11th Street in Northwest Washington, said Ramsey, who officially determined last week that Burke's death came in the performance of his professional duties.
The chief said he would ask the mayor to rename the 3rd Police District's substation, where Burke was assigned, in honor of the sergeant. Burke's badge will be retired in coming months, and there will be an official Gerard W. Burke Jr. class of police recruits, Ramsey added.
"His influence was tremendous," Ramsey said.
Burke, who was reared in New York state and graduated from Catholic University with a bachelor's degree in 1989, joined the District police department in 1990. He was engaged to be married. And he lived in the same Northwest Washington neighborhood -- Columbia Heights -- that he patrolled for the 3rd District. His funeral is scheduled for tomorrow in New York.
Commanders said Burke was a highly decorated officer who was commended for his work on a federal task force in the 1990s by the FBI director at the time, Louis J. Freeh. He received the police department's bronze star award for giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in 1997 to fellow D.C. officer Brian T. Gibson, who had been ambushed and shot on a Northwest Washington street. Ramsey credited Burke's efforts with keeping Gibson alive long enough for family members to visit his hospital bed before his death. Burke also was named the 2005 sergeant of the year for the 3rd District.
Police officers said Burke was not afraid to help people in need.
He once gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to an elderly homeless man who had been attacked. The man was a well-known intravenous drug user. Police officials said other officers might have shied away from such direct contact. After trying to save the man's life, Burke then scrambled around the scene to help gather evidence that led to a suspect's arrest in the case, said Cmdr. Larry McCoy, Burke's boss.
A friend and colleague, Officer Richard T. Feser, remembered Burke this way to mourners at yesterday's service: He "accomplished in 16 years what many accomplish in a lifetime."
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D.C. police Sgt. Gerard W. Burke Jr. received all of the tributes and pageantry yesterday that go with a memorial service for an officer who died while performing his duties: the honor guard poised with flags and rifles, colleagues in dress blue uniforms and white gloves, and crisp salutes as his...
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'Queen Bee Moms & Kingpin Dads'
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Wiseman is cofounder of the Empower Program, a nonprofit organization that empowers youth to stop violence and reaches more than ten thousand youth and educators each year. She is the author of "Queen Bees & Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence" (Crown, May 2002), which was the inspiration for the hit movie "Mean Girls."
The Buzz On Parents (Post, March 28)
Rejection Slip (Post, March 14)
Rosalind Wiseman: Hi to everyone in Washington. I'm in Seattle and I'd like to come home soon! I miss D.C.
Ashburn, Va.: Do you have any advice for teachers dealing with queen bee moms or kingpin dads?
Rosalind Wiseman: Sure I do. As a teacher myself I've been in situations where parents come at you, and sometimes parents come across like the teacher doesn't want the best for their kid and it can be really, really hurtful. I think the most important thing to remember is that a parent can disagree with you, but just as you have the obligation to treat them civilly, they have an obligation to treat you civilly. Just because parents -- especially Queen Bee moms and Kingpins dads -- feel they have a higher calling, which is protecting their child or advocating for their child, it sometimes allows them to rationalize bullying behavior to you. So assume it comes from a good place, but you have the right to be treated with dignity.
Harrisburg, Pa.: I am wondering what your impressions were of the movie "Mean Girls", if you saw it. Did it accurately portray (realizing that movies exaggerate characters) real issues facing adolescents, and were there are distortions or points not covered that you would point out?
Rosalind Wiseman: Yes, I saw it:-) I've had many kids around the country say to me that that was their high school, but certainly that is not all kids. Some kids would say that in no way that was like their experience. And both are equally valid. Both are equally true.
On the second point, I wish that there was a more explicit condemnation of homophobia.
Hyattsvile, Md.: What about boys? Boys as young as 8 want to keep up with their peers. Sean John and Timberland are not my first or last name, but my kids seem to want to wear them because of the Cliques. So girls are no the only ones.
Rosalind Wiseman: I could not agree more. Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls. And a boy who lifts weight and becomes really muscular and who takes protein powders and supplements is not that much different from a girl who is throwing up and binging. Each is trying to fit into (respectively) boy world and girl world.
Montgomery Cty, Md.: Hi Rosalind, thanks for doing your chat. I'm wondering if you have any advice for someone in my situation: I'm a single, working mother whose not so outgoing. My daughter is only a toddler now, and we socialize a bit out in the park with other mothers and kids... But. How do I make sure my daughter does not become a victim of my own lack of socialization/shyness?
Rosalind Wiseman: Well, first of all, I think you get to honor who you are, right? Not try to be someone who you're not. You don't have to become the woman who has playgroups at your house all the time. Take it slow. If you're comfortable, invite one parent -- since your kids are young, it makes sense to have one parent over for tea or coffee at the same time. And you know, shy parents do not necessarily make bad parents. I think that's important to remember.
Falls Church, Va.: My son was diagnosed with ADHD and starts kindergarten next year. As an adult with ADHD, I remember how difficult it was for me in elementary/middle school and how much my mother had to intervene with teachers who labeled me as "bad." My son has similar behavioral problems and I worry about future interactions with teachers/principals. Admittedly, I am very "Type A" and I am curious how to balance a genuine need to be your child's advocate and not being seen as a "Queen Bee?"
Rosalind Wiseman: That's a great question. And just the fact that you're able to articulate the problem, you're almost all the way there in being able to solve the problem. I've talked to a lot of parents in your situation who understandably need to advocate for their children. I suggest that you go to the teacher in the beginning of the year and tell him or her exactly what you just wrote to me. If you do this, the teacher will know that you might have moments of looking like a "Queen Bee," but you're someone the teacher can work with, can reach out to.
Springfield, Va.: Do you think Queen Bee types in school (and their male equivalents) grow up to be Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads more often than those who were not in school?
Rosalind Wiseman: Yes, although I think that there are Wannabes who can turn into Queen Bees and I think that there are kids who are Queen Bees and dominators when they're little who reform themselves, who realize the cost is too high to maintaining this persona. I think, in large part, this is what it means to become an adult.
Burke, Va.: Do Queen Bee moms have Queen Bee daughters? Or are the two not necessarily linked?
Rosalind Wiseman: It seems like this would be an easy answer -- Yes, Queen Bee girls come from Queen Bee moms -- but I haven't seen it 100 percent cleanly cut like that. Of course I've seen girls who are carbon copies of their mothers in this way, but I've also seen girls who realize the cost to their mother in becoming a Queen Bee and the mom becomes an anti-mentor. I've also seen Queen Bee moms push their daughters who are not as socially competitive and it tears the relationship in two.
Washington, D.C.: How does one best respond to this common parent statement: Do you have kids? Well when you do, then you can talk to me about what my child does/does not need! As an experienced social worker that provides counseling for children, I hear this from time to time. Help!
Rosalind Wiseman: It's one of the best deflectors that parents who don't want to look at their own behavior will say to an educator or a counselor. I would say to the parents, while you do know your child the best and your relationship with the child and in your home, children often have to have different coping skills and ways of being in their schools or outside the home. It's not good or bad, it's just different. So while you do know your child the best, in your relationship with your child -- and I would never take that away from you -- please know that I'm reaching out to you because I think that "X" problem or "X" situation is important. And then you can go from there.
Peer ostracism is quite a sticky problem, isn't it? There are enough horrible examples of what can happen to a child who feels marginalized and excluded to try to aggressively solve this problem.
But ... what to do if the parent is unable or unwilling to become involved, especially if the core of the ostracism is poor or anti-social social skills (belligerent behavior, inability to read or respond to social cues)? Or worse, cases where the parent may have the same problem.
There's a huge premium, even in the adult world, about being able to fit in. Some industries won't even look to hire people who can't/won't.
Rosalind Wiseman: I couldn't agree more and, actually, that's one of the areas that I would like to do more work in in the next couple of years.
I think that it's not good enough to not be involved and I don't mean fighting fights for kids. If the parent does not have the social skills to become involved, then I would have the parent sit down and decide who is another adult in this family's life that could be this person, that is more comfortable. I think people in that situation ... if they can ... I would really encourage them to reach out to someone in their support system to have them navigate through these kinds of problems.
Woodley Park, Washington, D.C.: My particular experience is with parents who tell their teenage children that they are great at EVERYTHING even to the point of lying when the child is not so great. I grew up in a very honest household so praise came right alongside constructive criticism. I heard "That wasn't your best night in the play" sometimes, but it made "You rocked tonight!" mean so much more. I just don't know how to deal with these parents, (besides hiding or running to the bathroom) especially when I go to their children's performances and they expect me to spill out mindless praise. Can you please give me advice?
Rosalind Wiseman: I think that giving mindless praise is ridiculous. But I understand why parents do it. They want their kids to feel good about themselves. But parents are never going to teach their children true, positive self esteem by praising everything they do. Instead, of course, you tell your kids you love them, but don't fall into that trap.
Washington, D.C.: Is there a difference between a Queen Bee mother and one who is over-involved in her teenager's school, but well-liked by teachers and staff because of her contributions? Is her child better off, as a result of the advantages secured, than the child of the mother who lets him successfully (most of the time) manage for himself with teachers, friends, homework, tests?
Rosalind Wiseman: It depends on how good of a leader the principle of the school is. There are some principles where the former -- what you're describing -- can manipulate the principle and they will get preferential treatment, but the teachers will hate the kid. The latter, the teachers are going to like the parent, like the kid more. But more importantly is that the latter child will much more likely develop a greater degree of social competence than the former because that kid always thinks everything will be done for him or her.
Annapolis, Md.: My HS senior daughter is a typical "gamma girl," doesn't follow the trends and cliques, friendly but doesn't have loads of friends and social opportunities, active in a few social action clubs, bonds more with her teachers than peers. Do you have any advice for making new friends when she goes off to a public college next year?
Rosalind Wiseman: I think she sounds good. It sounds like she's in good shape, she's friendly, she's got friends. I'm betting she's the oldest or only child. It sounds like she's doing well and she might have the normal anxieties about going to a new school, but it sounds to me like she might have the skills to take care of herself.
Alexandria, Va.: Rosalind -- The Queen Bees made my life as a parent a living hell and their offspring ostracized my daughter all through school -- when a loud-mouthed parent forces the coach to play their kid first, some other kid gets kicked to the curb -- and mine was always that kid. How I wish your book had been written years ago so I would have a name for the abuse! It may have helped me to stand up to the bullies, big and small.
Rosalind Wiseman: I'm hoping that you read the book and that you can apply it to your life in some ways. Those stories are some of the main reasons why I wrote the book.
Bethesda, Md.: At school functions, there is a father bullying the deaf father of hearing kids who are doing well academically. I think he is jealous the hearing kids do so well while his own kids are doing bad... Many parents saw this but are afraid to interfere because he is also a softball coach and his kid is a good baseball player. Any advice?
Rosalind Wiseman: I don't care what the reasons are -- jealousy, bad day -- I don't care. Being a parent does not give you an excuse for bad manners. I know it is difficult and it's the last thing I want to do, to confront a bullying parent, but we have to do it. This is a battle we have to fight. So what I'm suggesting is another adult, another parent, is to stand up and to say to the bullying dad, "I know that what you want is what's best for all of our children, but we must have a civil discourse." And then run away:-) (Laughing)
Arlington, Va.: Speaking of reducing violence, at least a little, I am glad to reach that corporal punishment has dramatically been reduced during this generation of parents. Yet, there are those who feel many of today's children are growing up with too little discipline and with sense of responsibility. Does perhaps limited corporal punishment work, and how can today's Queen Bees create a proper level of discipline and respect into a home?
Rosalind Wiseman: I think that children need to respect their parents and have a healthy fear of disappointing their parents and knowing that if they break family rules that there will be serious, painful consequences. You don't have to spank your children to do that. Consequences, to me, as a mother and as an educator, are always to decide what are the privileges that the child values the most and then take it away.
Charleston, W. Va.: My daughter was a "difficult," "high-spirited" (depending on which psychology book I read) child. She is very smart, intellectually and emotionally. She often has trouble with teachers because she is smarter than they are, and she has little tolerance for busy work. I can't convince her that these people are in charge and must be obeyed. Can you give me any suggestions for how I might get through to her on this issue? I loved your first book and am looking forward to reading this one. Thanks for your insight and research.
Rosalind Wiseman: One of the most not-fun parenting responsibilities is to teach your child how to put up with boring, irritating, difficult people. She must maintain good manners and treat her teachers with dignity. Just as I said before that being a parent does not excuse bad manners, being a teenager doesn't excuse bad manners either. But certainly what she's going through is normal, from how you're describing her, and your job is to hold her accountable, while still encouraging her intellect and creativity.
Washington, D.C.: Have you seen any differences between parents of kids that attend public school vs. private school, particularly in cases where parents have to work/sacrifice in order for their kids to attend private school. It's hard to be a queen bee if both parents have to work.
Rosalind Wiseman: More than private or public school is the wealth of the families that make up that school community and sometimes the feelings of entitlement that those parents and children have. I have seen private schools where parents are sacrificing tremendously to send their children to that school, but it's not in D.C., actually. There's a feeling that it's a great privilege, in the best of sense, to have this educational opportunity. In Washington, we can sometimes be particularly challenged to remember that professional or financial achievement still means that you feel that you should play by the same rules as everyone else.
Arlington, Va.: I'm multitasking and reading your book right now. I love it!
Rosalind Wiseman: Great! Now do four more things:-)
Raleigh, N.C.: My daughter is experiencing some of the "Queen Bee" issues that you describe and she's only in the 4th grade; how early do these issues start?
Rosalind Wiseman: They start as soon as people are in relationships with each other. So it is not uncommon for girls as young as three to be involved in these kinds of friendship dynamics. It doesn't mean that these are a particularly bad bunch of girls; this is normal. You just have the opportunity to start dealing with it now, like any parent, frankly.
Rosalind Wiseman: Thank you very much, and I hope to be back home soon.
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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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Israel To Elect Sharon's Successor
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Washington Post staff writer Scott Wilson was online Tuesday, March 28, at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the elections in Israel and how the selection of Ariel Sharon 's successor may impact the region. Two months after Palestinians voted Hamas into power, the new government is expected to take over this week.
Scott Wilson: Hi everyone and it's very nice to be with you. I've been visiting a few polling stations in West Bank settlements and in Israel on an important election day that, so far, has been characterized by a very low turnout. I'll get right to your questions.
Albuquerque, N.M.: How is Ariel Sharon doing anyway?
Scott Wilson: Sharon's condition has changed little in the past few months and he remains unconscious - grave, but stable is how doctors describe him. He has cast a large shadow over the elections, though, and the party he founded, Kadima, is projected to win the most seats. But low turnout could hurt Kadima and help the smaller sectarian, religious and nationalist parties, whose followers are very devoted. Sharon's idea of unilateral withdrawals from the territories has been the big idea of the campaign, championed by his successor, Ehud Olmert.
Bethesda, Md.: One of the parties in the election is campaigning on a platform of taking away Israeli citizenship from Israeli Arabs, as well as giving their land to a future Palestinian state. Is this idea going to go anywhere? How is it viewed by Israeli Jews and Arabs?
Scott Wilson: You're referring to Israel Beiteinu, or Israel is Our Home. It's leader, Avigdor Lieberman, has proposed redrawing Israel's recognized border in a way that puts a string of Arab towns in the Palestinian territories. He has said the Arab citizens of Israel are a more pressing problem - because of the demographic challenge to the Jewish majority they may pose down the road - than the Palestinian question. Israeli legal scholars say the plan is illegal and it has angered a number of political leaders, namely the head of Labor, Amir Perezt, who has said he will not serve in a government that includes Lieberman. But Lieberamn's party is doing very well in the polls - winning perhaps 10 seats or more - largely because it has attracted the support of immigrants from the former Soviet republics who are secular, conservative and looking for a new leader with Sharon's departure from the scene.
Riverside, Calif.: About 20 percent of Israel's citizens are non-Jews. Yet the three biggest non-Jewish parties (Balad, Hadash and the United Arab List) are only expected to get eight seats in the new Knesset, or about 7 percent of the total. Why the gap?
Scott Wilson: Good question. Arab turnout is very low, largely because in the past there have been calls to boycott the elections from Arab intellectuals and a branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel. The boycott is a form of protest against the Jewish character of the state, which Arabs feel is discriminatory. Those boycott calls have not been as loud this year, and Islamic candidates (part of the United Arab List) are emphasizing religion in their campaign this year in the wake of Hamas' victory to energize young people who have boycotted in the past. They are hoping for a better showing today.
Silver Spring, Md.: Given the significance of the Yisrael Beitanu party, with which other party will the Russians align themselves?
Scott Wilson: There's talk that a good showing by Israel Beiteinu and a poor showing by Likud could reshuffle the hawkish opposition to Kadima-Labor-Meretz government. That is, Likud might invite Lieberman, Israel Beiteinu's leader, to merge his seats with the party in exchange for leading it. If not that, the party would just be an important member of the opposition that would include Likud, the National Union and a few others.
Wheaton, Md.: 15 years of the so-called "peace process" has lead to the creation of a terrorist-run state within the borders of Israel. Aside from the fact that this was all too predictable, why would anyone in Israel vote to continue down this same failed path?
Scott Wilson: Well, Sharon's unilateral withdrawal has been the centerpiece of this campaign. There hasn't been a peace process here since the start of the most recent intifada in Sept. 2000. For the record, "the terrorist-run state" you refer to is in the West Bank, which has not been annexed by Israel so is not inside its recognized borders.
Chicago, Ill.: It is 9:20 p.m. in Jerusalem. When do we expect to hear early results?
Scott Wilson: There should be exit poll numbers available soon after 10 p.m. my time - that is, right after polls close.
Harrisburg, Pa.: I presume, unlike in American districts, there will be no divisions voting for Patrick Buchanan in these elections. What are the mechanics of voting in Israel: is it paper ballot, lever machines, electronic machines, or what? Do the voters appear confident in election results from these procedures?
Scott Wilson: There are paper ballots here and I haven't heard any concerns about fraud relating to the system they use.
Riverside, Calif.: A follow up: You say that election boycotts are losing popularity among Israel's non-Jewish citizens. What would Israeli politics be like if 20 percent of the Knesset seats were held by Christian or Muslim Israelis, in line with their share of the population?
Scott Wilson: Hard to say, but that would be 24 seats - essentially the second biggest party in parliament going by the way parties are projected to finish today. The Arabs would be a key player in any coalition or blocking minority. But could they successfully push to repeal some of the laws they consider discriminatory - change the national anthem, eliminate the Star of David from the flag? Probably not. But they would have more power in changing laws concerning employment and land ownership, most likely.
Munich, Germany: With the growing population of Russian emigrees to Israel, are there signs in this election that this group is being galvanized together by Lieberman's "Israel Is Our Home" party?
What is the current population of Russian speakers in Israel?
Scott Wilson: Absolutely, we wrote a story a week or so ago about this phenomenon. There are about 1.3 million Russian-speakers in Israel.
New York: In 1996, Netanyahu scored a surprising win despite the polls. In 1999, Shas surprised everyone with 17 seats. In 2003, it was Shinui.
What will be the surprise tonight?
Scott Wilson: Probably nothing dramatic. But with turnout low, the surprise might be that Kadima does worse than projected, Israel Beiteinu with an energized base will do better, one-issue party's like the Pensioners' Party will do very well (at least compared to how they were projected to place). As I said, nothing dramatic but slight changes from pre-election polls.
Washington, D.C.: Ho do the candidates differ in their approach to dealing with Tehran, or do they largely speak with one voice on this particular issue?
Scott Wilson: Pretty much with one voice - that Iran will not be permitted to possess a nuclear bomb. But it really hasn't come up much in the campaign.
washingtonpost.com: Russian Bloc in Israel Looks to a Strongman (Post, March 22)
Winston-Salem, N.C.: Do you feel that the future West Bank border has already been approved by U.S. and will be implemented after the vote?
Scott Wilson: Olmert has said he will seek U.S. approval for the border he envisions, and US officials say they have not approved anything specific - that is, what settlements will be inside Israel and what settlements will be outside. But the US hasn't offered much criticism on what most people imagine will be the border. We'll have to wait and see.
Scott Wilson: Thanks a lot to everyone who participated. Polls just closed and results should be coming in soon, so need to run. Will have them all in tomorrow's paper.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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 Scott Wilson discusses the elections in Israel and how the selection of Ariel Sharon's successor may impact the region.
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Decency to 'Those People'
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Half a million people poured into the streets of Los Angeles on Saturday to protest the various Republican-sponsored proposals in Congress that would demonize illegal immigrants. Hundreds marched yesterday in Detroit, which, last I checked, is nowhere near the Mexican border. Tens of thousands have demonstrated in Phoenix, Denver and other cities across the country. In every case, the crowds were mostly Latino.
We all know that Latinos are the nation's largest minority and that most of the people in those demonstrations either were born in the United States or are here legally. But we also know that at least some of those protesters had gone through the experience of crossing the border illegally under the tutelage of avaricious people-smugglers known as "coyotes." At least some had been here for months or years, working to send money home to their families, keeping their heads down, somehow managing to carve out lives for themselves and their children.
Who are they? After the demonstrations were over, where did they go? Are they so diabolically clever at hiding in plain sight? Or is it that the rest of us refuse to see them, because by seeing them we would have to acknowledge their humanity?
That willful blindness is why the debate on illegal immigration is so hypocritical. If we lump undocumented immigrants into an undifferentiated mass of Those People, we can avoid really looking at the immigrant experience. And we can convince ourselves that it is somehow different from the periodic waves of immigration that have shaped this nation -- that suddenly it is not an issue, or even a problem, but an urgent crisis.
There are an estimated 12 million immigrants in the United States illegally. That many people don't just fade into the woodwork. The fact is, we see undocumented immigrants every day.
Maybe they vacuum your office at night. Maybe they landscape your garden or clean your house or cook the food at your favorite restaurant. You probably don't know where they live. You probably don't know their children's names or where they go to school. You probably don't know what it was like for them to buy a car or even get a driver's license. You probably don't know where they get medical care.
If you did know these things about individual immigrants, whether they're from Mexico or El Salvador or China or Brazil, I think you would find the debate in Congress almost grotesque.
Should we declare that they are all criminals? Should we make criminals of the people who give them jobs, too? Should we build a Berlin Wall along the border? It's possible to take such draconian measures against Those People -- but not against lovely Marta, who waxes your floors, or genial Juan, who tends your azaleas. So to side with the xenophobes, you have to know as little about Marta and Juan as possible.
In terms of realpolitik, the immigration issue is easy: If the Republican leadership in Congress wants to alienate Latino voters and drive them into the embrace of the Democratic Party, it's tempting to let them do it. But that means ignoring the reality that we're talking about individuals, not Those People. And it means abandoning the process of inflow, adaptation and renewal that has made this nation of immigrants so dynamic and resourceful.
I don't get many chances to say that George W. Bush is right, but I think he really understands the immigration issue on both the political and the personal level. His guest-worker program is a mess. Does he really expect millions of people to report for deportation? Won't employers have an incentive to exploit the guest workers when they know they will never have citizenship, and therefore will never have any political clout? But I do give the president credit for seeking a compromise that will quiet the nativists in his party and maybe buy some time for cooler heads to prevail.
Much better is the proposal by Sens. John McCain and Edward Kennedy that would declare what amounts to an amnesty for undocumented immigrants. They would both take issue with that characterization, because "amnesty" is a forbidden word, but that's what it would be -- "illegals" who reported to authorities would be able to stay in the country and eventually begin the process of seeking citizenship. It seems unlikely, though, that this reasonable plan will fly.
Whatever Congress does, 12 million people aren't going to pack up and go home overnight. They are here -- Marta and Juan, not Those People. We see them every day. Let's deal with them as fellow human beings.
The writer will take questions today at 1 p.m. on www.washingtonpost.com. His e-mail address iseugenerobinson@washpost.com.
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Half a million people poured into the streets of Los Angeles on Saturday to protest the various Republican-sponsored proposals in Congress that would demonize illegal immigrants. Hundreds marched yesterday in Detroit, which, last I checked, is nowhere near the Mexican border. Tens of thousands have...
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Fukuyama's Fantasy
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It was, as the hero tells it, his Road to Damascus moment. There he is, in a hall of 1,500 people he has long considered to be his allies, hearing the speaker treat the Iraq war, nearing the end of its first year, as "a virtually unqualified success." He gasps as the audience enthusiastically applauds. Aghast to discover himself in a sea of comrades so deluded by ideology as to have lost touch with reality, he decides he can no longer be one of them.
And thus did Francis Fukuyama become the world's most celebrated ex-neoconservative, a well-timed metamorphosis that has brought him a piece of the fame that he once enjoyed 15 years ago as the man who declared, a mite prematurely, that history had ended.
A very nice story. It appears in the preface to Fukuyama's post-neocon coming out, "America at the Crossroads." On Sunday it was repeated on the front page of the New York Times Book Review in Paul Berman's review.
I happen to know something about this story, as I was the speaker whose 2004 Irving Kristol lecture to the American Enterprise Institute Fukuyama has now brought to prominence. I can therefore testify that Fukuyama's claim that I attributed "virtually unqualified success" to the war is a fabrication.
A convenient fabrication -- it gives him a foil and the story drama -- but a foolish one because it can be checked. The speech was given at the Washington Hilton before a full house, carried live on C-SPAN and then published by the American Enterprise Institute under its title "Democratic Realism: An American Foreign Policy for a Unipolar World." (It can be read at http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.19912,filter.all/pub_detail.asp .) As indicated by the title, the speech was not about Iraq. It was a fairly theoretical critique of the four schools of American foreign policy: isolationism, liberal internationalism, realism and neoconservatism. The only successes I attributed to the Iraq war were two, and both self-evident: (1) that it had deposed Saddam Hussein and (2) that this had made other dictators think twice about the price of acquiring nuclear weapons, as evidenced by the fact that Moammar Gaddafi had turned over his secret nuclear program for dismantling just months after Hussein's fall (in fact, on the very week of Hussein's capture).
In that entire 6,000-word lecture, I said not a single word about the course or conduct of the Iraq war. My only reference to the outcome of the war came toward the end of the lecture. Far from calling it an unqualified success, virtual or otherwise, I said quite bluntly that "it may be a bridge too far. Realists have been warning against the hubris of thinking we can transform an alien culture because of some postulated natural and universal human will to freedom. And they may yet be right."
History will judge whether we can succeed in "establishing civilized, decent, nonbelligerent, pro-Western polities in Afghanistan and Iraq." My point then, as now, has never been that success was either inevitable or at hand, only that success was critically important to "change the strategic balance in the fight against Arab-Islamic radicalism."
I made the point of repeating the problematic nature of the enterprise: "The undertaking is enormous, ambitious and arrogant. It may yet fail."
For Fukuyama to assert that I characterized it as "a virtually unqualified success" is simply breathtaking. My argument then, as now, was the necessity of this undertaking, never its ensured success. And it was necessary because, as I said, there is not a single, remotely plausible, alternative strategy for attacking the root causes of Sept. 11: "The cauldron of political oppression, religious intolerance, and social ruin in the Arab-Islamic world -- oppression transmuted and deflected by regimes with no legitimacy into virulent, murderous anti-Americanism."
Fukuyama's book is proof of this proposition about the lack of the plausible alternative. The alternative he proposes for the challenges of Sept. 11 -- new international institutions, new forms of foreign aid and sundry other forms of "soft power" -- is a mush of bureaucratic make-work in the face of a raging fire. Even Berman, his sympathetic reviewer, concludes that "neither his old arguments nor his new ones offer much insight into this, the most important problem of all -- the problem of murderous ideologies and how to combat them."
Fukuyama now says that he had secretly opposed the Iraq war before it was launched. An unusual and convenient reticence, notes Irwin Stelzer, editor of "The Neocon Reader," for such an inveterate pamphleteer, letter writer and essayist. After public opinion had turned against the war, Fukuyama then courageously came out against it. He has every right to change his mind at his convenience. He has no right to change what I said.
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It was, as the hero tells it, his Road to Damascus moment. There he is, in a hall of 1,500 people he has long considered to be his allies, hearing the speaker treat the Iraq war, nearing the end of its first year, as "a virtually unqualified success." He gasps as the audience enthusiastically...
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Rumsfeld: U.S. Struggles to Combat Anti-American Propaganda
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"Clearly, the United States government has not gotten to the point where we are as deft and clever and facile as the enemy that is perfectly capable of lying, having it printed all over the world, and there's no penalty for having lied," Rumsfeld said at an afternoon news conference at the Pentagon. "Indeed, there was a reward [for the enemy] because a great many people read the lie and believed it."
Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. and Iraqi forces came under fire as the attack began around twilight Sunday, and then returned fire. He said the compound that was attacked contained a hostage wing and some weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices.
"Those are not religious instruments," Rumsfeld interjected, as photographs of the weapons were displayed for reporters.
One building in the compound contained a "small minaret and a prayer room . . . Some people are calling it a mosque," Pace said.
"There was firing from inside the compound" at U.S. and Iraqi special forces, Pace said. "I cannot tell you whether or not there was actually somebody in the minaret firing or not."
Pace said he did not know whether anyone was killed in the prayer room.
Rumsfeld said the mission was carried out by 180 Iraqi special forces and "60, 80, 90" coalition forces.
Rumsfeld also said today he was never briefed on a U.S. military study that said Russian intelligence fed U.S. battle plans to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein before the 2003 invasion.
The Russians have said the allegation is untrue.
"I suspect that what was in the government report characterized a document or some piece of information that existed," Rumsfeld said. "I haven't seen the specific reference [to the Russians] in the report."
Asked if he knows whether the information is true, Rumsfeld said: "No, I don't. It's something that obviously merits looking into."
Later, he suggested it was not unusual that he had not been briefed on the allegation, which was publicly disclosed last week.
"The idea that we're supposed to know what's going to be on every single document or report that comes out of this department . . . doesn't quite appreciate the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of reports that are put out," Rumsfeld said.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today asked Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to launch a "serious investigation" into the allegation.
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Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today the United States military has not figured out how to combat anti-American propaganda by Iraqi militants, including a widely reported claim that a Sunday attack by U.S. and Iraqi special forces targeted innocent Shiite Muslims praying in a mosque.
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Paternity Ward
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Onstage, the young man and woman, warring over the infant, hang on the host's every word. The mother, Sanquenetta, has insisted that the man, Niko, is the father; he is adamant that he is not. They've come to this TV studio to tell their conflicting stories and insult each other, to the great amusement of a live audience.
All that remains is the payoff: the results of a DNA paternity test.
Welcome to "The Maury Show." The man opening the envelope containing the test results could only be Maury Povich, the program's genial, somewhat controversial host. Each day, the program presents an array of guests united by their life-dramas, which are generally sex-dramas. Show titles -- always heavy on exclamation points -- range from "Secret Sex Videos . . . Ruined Lives! Caught on Tape!" to "I Think I Got Our Babysitter Pregnant . . . Don't Divorce Me!" to "I'll Prove My Baby Is Your 14th Child!"
The paternity show, though, is the program's signature format, its franchise -- as well as its highest rated, helping "Maury" (3.8 million viewers daily) rank fourth this season among daytime talk shows, behind "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Dr. Phil" and "Live With Regis and Kelly." (The hour-long show airs locally at noon and 2 p.m. on Channel 50.)
Only minutes ago, Paul Faulhaber, the syndicated program's executive producer since it began in 1998, warmed up the crowd of 150-plus at a recent taping. ("Is Brooklyn in the house? Let me hear it, Brooklyn!") When he announced that the day's theme was paternity, the audience turned red-hot, shrieking with delight.
Paternity segments vary in the particulars, but the outline is almost always identical: A woman accuses a man of fathering her child, and he denies it. They state their cases, often savagely, and then Povich reads the DNA results. That settles the genetic question, although often it does little to bring peace between the parties.
Povich's studio audiences tend to sympathize with mothers, and when he leads Sanquenetta to the stage and announces that she "made the mistake of her life when she met a man named Niko," audience members murmur with understanding.
Guests are encouraged to be forthright, and Sanquenetta is. "I'm not 100, I'm not 1,000, I'm a million percent sure he's the father of my baby," she says. "Maury, this is the first and last time you're gonna see me on your show."
That last statement alludes to some of Povich's more notable female guests, who have made a staggering number of appearances in seeking to establish first this man, then that one, then still another as their children's fathers. (A woman named Georgetta has attained legendary status by appearing 12 times to test 13 men.)
When Sanquenetta told Niko she was pregnant, she reports to the audience, "he said, 'Have an abortion.' " And since Princess's birth, she adds, he has provided "nothin'. No Pampers, no diapers, nothin'."
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Search Washington, DC area TV schedules and reviews from the Washington Post. Features DC, Virginia and Maryland entertainment listings for television programs. Visit http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/partners/zipcode.asp?partner_id=wpc today.
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A Silky Smooth 'Thief'
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"Braugher" rhymes with "power," conveniently enough. Of all the actors working in episodic television, no one has more of it than Andre Braugher, former star of "Homicide: Life on the Street" and current star of "Thief," the latest in-your-facial drama from the FX cable network.
FX is known for pushing the envelope, stretching the envelope, jumping up and down on the envelope, and "Thief" is entirely within that tradition (traditions can be established quickly nowadays).
In somewhat the manner of HBO's epochal "Sopranos," FX's "Thief" shows us that crooks have home lives, too, and it plays havoc with old notions of what separates good guys from bad. Braugher plays Nick, a man who meticulously masterminds large-scale robberies, splits up the revenue with his slightly shaggy band of co-conspirators and rushes home to his beautiful wife after work.
Unless it miraculously turns out that Nick is an undercover man for the police -- and that isn't revealed in the first two episodes, suggesting it never will be -- then the hero of the series is a man who operates way outside the law, removes large amounts of money from banks without filling out a withdrawal slip and might even fire a bullet into a gang member who starts acting greedy.
Successful acting on television, of course, takes craftsmanship and skill, but it's also a matter of presence, of chemistry -- a command of the camera that can be honed, perhaps, but not learned. It has to be there, and Braugher has powerful presence aplenty. He builds on it with awesome fluency, winning you over even when playing a criminal.
Although it has no direct relationship to the 1981 Michael Mann film of the same title, the new "Thief" is similarly rich in texture and what might be called a gorgeous garishness. It opens with split-screen views of a parade through San Francisco's Chinatown, but down below the street where the long, slinky dragon wriggles and snorts, Nick and his team are pulling off a spectacular heist armed with computers and explosives.
In the middle of the thievery, Nick has to stop. There's a phone call about some problem his stepdaughter is having. Then, back to the business at hand. But this time the gang has robbed the wrong bank, it seems, ticking off the Chinese Mafia and its godfather, and complications start piling up even faster than bodies. Will Yun Lee is especially effective as Braugher's chief adversary, although they don't meet for a while yet. Like Braugher's Nick, Lee's Vincent is a respectable thief, a man with one foot in the underworld and the other in the -- overworld? Whatever.
There are many kinds of thievery occurring in the country every day, the drama seems to say, whether by a gang such as Nick's, operating on a relatively modest level, or by corporate titans at some conglomerate riddled with corruption, or in Washington itself, where, as Steve Allen used to joke, the nation is served by "the best congressmen money can buy."
Nick has dignity, charisma, finesse; he also has issues. His wife's death in a traffic accident sends him reeling and, unfortunately, brings out whatever hostility had remained latent in the stepdaughter, Tammi, played unlovably by Mae Whitman. The cast also includes Dina Meyer and Linda Hamilton as formidable women involved in the criminal life; Clifton Collins Jr. as a gang member who suffers from an extreme case of regret; Malik Yoba as a gang member with doubts about some of his colleagues; and Michael Rooker as Detective John Hayes, who walks a very wobbly line of moral relativity.
Apparently a "bad cop" caught in some sort of malfeasance, Hayes now plays the sorry role of informer. He reports to a fashionably suited lawyer in the city attorney's office, though during one of their meetings, the lawyer is unsuited, wearing only a towel in a steam bath. So paranoid is Hayes that he insists the lawyer remove the towel, lest he be "wired" in a spot so covert it that it otherwise doesn't show.
Episode 1 ends, and the second begins, with a killing filmed atmospherically in a swamp. Although it opens in San Francisco, "Thief" takes place mainly in New Orleans. It appears this decision was made before the city was devastated by a hurricane, but signs of the destruction, and of the city's attempted comeback ("Rebuilding a Greater New Orleans," reads an optimistic billboard), have been inserted to keep the milieu current.
"Thief," created by Norman Morrill (who wrote tonight's pilot), is a stand-up, standout piece of work, one that works wonders on a seemingly tired genre.
Of Braugher, it can easily be said that whatever the scene and however many other people are involved in it, you can't take your eyes off him -- but he doesn't parade around looking down on the show. Instead, it -- all the fellow cast members -- rises up to meet him.
It's somber, dark, bleak and dank -- but in a, you know, entertaining way. FX has done it again.
Done what again? Whatever it is that FX does so well. It's hard to identify, but nobody else is doing it.
Gosh, what's more fun than a trashy, crass high-school sitcom that makes teachers look like imbeciles and jerks? TV history is glutted with this specious species, and now here comes another example: NBC's "Teachers," premiering tonight and, if we're lucky, saying goodbye forever in a week or two.
This sitcom isn't wacky in an amusing way. It's wacky in a way that makes you want to see it whacked.
Some of the cast members show promise. And Sarah Shahi, as teacher Tina Torres, shows almost everything. You have no trouble believing she could get a part-time job at the local Hooters (called "Headlights" in the show). Her polar opposite is the prim and reticent Alice, played by Sarah Alexander. That these two could become friends is a promising idea, but the writers are too interested in gags to explore relationships.
The male lead is Justin Bartha as teacher Jeff Cahill, who regards his job as a joke and as an excuse to hang around with his buddy Calvin Babbitt, played in a giggly way by Deon Richmond. Cahill is a cool teacher, we know that, because he wears bluejeans with his sport coat and shares a glib indifference with his students.
Tonight's pilot, directed by the madly ubiquitous James Burrows, opens on a shot of a student asleep at her desk. She isn't the only one who'll be made drowsy by this retread of a retread of a show. Depressingly, it was based on a series of the same title that aired on England's Channel 4. But then, Britons have lousy television too.
Comedies set in high schools have been a plague for years, with cynicism the usual prevailing attitude, and only occasionally something bright and original enough to elevate the form. Among the sorry old stereotypes who pop up in "Teachers" is Kali Rocha as Emma Wiggins, the priggish and dimwitted principal who forbids Cahill and Babbitt to take their classes to see "Romeo and Juliet" because the idiot president of the Concerned Parents Association has filed a complaint.
That might make a nice little sermonette about standing up to censors and snobs -- but say, wasn't it also basically the plot of "Porky's 2"? Ye shall know them by whosoever they crib from, and "Teachers" aims low even when it comes to petty theft.
Thief (60 minutes) debuts tonight at 10 on FX.
Teachers (30 minutes) debuts tonight at 9:30 on Channel 4.
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"Braugher" rhymes with "power," conveniently enough. Of all the actors working in episodic television, no one has more of it than Andre Braugher, former star of "Homicide: Life on the Street" and current star of "Thief," the latest in-your-facial drama from the FX cable network. Gosh, what's more...
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Zubrus Stays Front and Center
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Dainius Zubrus, perhaps the Washington Capitals' best two-way forward, paused for a moment yesterday when he was asked which facet of the game he preferred, scoring or defending?
"There's really no straight answer," Zubrus said. "It's whatever makes a difference. Sometimes it's blocking a shot in the last minute. Sometimes it's scoring a goal. If it happens to be both, then it's even better."
On Saturday, it was the latter that clinched Washington's 3-1 win in Raleigh, N.C. Zubrus was grappling for position in front of the Carolina Hurricanes' net when he inadvertently redirected a shot past goaltender Martin Gerber with his skate.
The goal, Zubrus's 17th of the season and the Capitals' third of the game, not only helped halt an eight-game losing streak, it also equaled the 27-year-old center's career high and gave him 44 points, one more than his previous best established in 2001-02. His plus-minus rating of plus 6 is second on the team.
Goals are nice, Capitals Coach Glen Hanlon said, but offense isn't Zubrus's biggest contribution to the Capitals' top forward combination, which is headlined by rookie left wing Alex Ovechkin. Zubrus is the defensive conscience of the line, a responsibility that gives Ovechkin the freedom to freelance.
"That line can play against any line because Zubrus is big, strong, plays well defensively and battles down low," Hanlon said after yesterday's practice at Piney Orchard Ice Arena. "Sometimes you get some higher skilled centermen that aren't prepared to do those things."
Zubrus added: "Playing with Alex, I want to play as safe as possible. I try to be a safety guy, which gives [Ovechkin] the freedom to do whatever pretty much he wants. He takes the puck and tries to beat guys one-on-one. That's why I play the safety role. I know he's going to try to do that."
Hanlon refuted the notion that Ovechkin would have more goals and assists if he skated alongside a center with better set-up skills. Ovechkin, through Sunday's games, ranked second in the NHL in goals with 47 and third in points with 91.
"I'm very defensive about Zubie," Hanlon added. "I don't think Ovie would have better numbers with anybody in the league. [Zubrus] is a big strong guy who brings guys to him and that opens up space for [Ovechkin]."
That said, Hanlon chose his words carefully when asked whether he envisions Zubrus as the long-term center on Ovechkin's line. Zubrus is under contract through the 2006-07 season.
"I'm not going to commit myself to that, or commit the organization to that," the coach said. "Who knows what's going to happen in the future. Right now, I'm very happy with [Ovechkin and Zubrus]. Zubie is firm with Ovie when it comes to doing the right thing all over the ice."
It's common to see Zubrus schooling Ovechkin -- during practice and games -- on the finer points of defensive zone coverage or other subtleties of the NHL game. It helps that Zubrus speaks to the Russian rookie in his native language.
"I understand Zubie," Ovechkin said. "He helps me a lot, on the ice and off the ice. We talk before the game about what we must do. We talk about [different] situations."
Asked to be more specific, Ovechkin smiled and said: "What does he do? He gives me the puck."
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Dainius Zubrus, perhaps the Washington Capitals' best two-way forward, paused for a moment yesterday when he was asked which facet of the game he preferred, scoring or defending?
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Reading Material for Pa. Inmates Debated
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A newspaper has many alternative uses -- fish wrap, puppy training. In Pennsylvania, some prisoners fill a rolled-up paper with toothpaste, let it harden -- and use it as a club.
That glimpse of prison reality came at the Supreme Court yesterday, from a lawyer explaining why Pennsylvania denies about 40 of its most violent inmates reading materials unless they obey the rules. The policy, Pennsylvania Executive Deputy Attorney General Louis J. Rovelli said, is "logically connected to both rehabilitation and security."
Prisoner Ronald Banks sued when his Christian Science Monitor was barred, claiming a violation of his First Amendment rights. Last year, a federal appeals court in Philadelphia ruled in his favor. The state appealed, setting up yesterday's oral argument in Beard v. Banks , No. 04-1739. The case will help define how much the Constitution permits officials to restrict inmates' already limited freedom for the sake of order, security and rehabilitation.
At issue is the Long-Term Segregation Unit, located in Pittsburgh until a move in recent years to Fayette County, where inmates from around the state are sent after attempting to escape or assaulting guards. Prisoners may be kept in solitary confinement 23 hours per day. They get no television, radio, newspapers, magazines or photographs, except for religious or legal publications.
Access to reading material is relaxed in return for good behavior. Pennsylvania says this "behavior modification" is consistent with Supreme Court precedent, which says prisons may restrict inmates' rights as long as they have a legitimate reason to do so and have exhausted the alternatives.
The appeals court ruled that Pennsylvania could not enforce the policy without evidence that it achieved its stated purposes. Then-Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. dissented, saying that a prisoner who was subjected to the restrictions for a long time may have a claim, but that in general the rules were reasonable.
Yesterday, now-Justice Alito had to sit out the case, leaving his eight colleagues to weigh the policy.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg seemed skeptical, noting that a religious publication could also be rolled up and fashioned into a club.
Rovelli answered that, in the experience of prison officials, inmates are less likely to use religious materials as weapons.
The Bush administration supports Pennsylvania, and Assistant Solicitor General Jonathan L. Marcus argued on its behalf. Justice David H. Souter told him he was worried that the state's argument could justify almost anything.
"I don't see the logical stopping point if we accept the behavioral-modification theory," he noted. "Why wouldn't it allow for the deprivation of all communication except access to counsel?"
Marcus replied that such an "exaggerated response" would be barred. "There is a reasonableness test," he said.
But the court's toughest questioning was reserved for Banks's attorney, Jere Krakoff. He puzzled several justices by arguing that the policy was impermissible because the prisoners were so incorrigible that it would never work.
"I'm suggesting there comes a time when you've taken so many things from these prisoners that, yes, you do have to give up," he said.
That prompted a rebuke from Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who said, "The state's position is that it wants to avoid . . . the most extreme circumstances of just forgetting about them."
Krakoff also disputed the state's claim that newspapers are a danger because inmates light them on fire. The same is true of writing paper, which is allowed, he said.
Justice Antonin Scalia replied: "You want to know what kind of fire you can set with the Sunday New York Times? You're going to compare that with writing paper?"
A decision is expected by July.
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Continuing coverage of the Supreme Court nomination and confirmation process from The Washington Post.
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State Dept. Offers Record Pay in 2 Hot Spots
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To help recruit U.S. government civilians for duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, the State Department has boosted the pay allowances for both hardship and danger to the highest levels ever granted, department officials said.
Starting this month, U.S. government civilians serving in Iraq and in Afghanistan outside of Kabul are receiving an extra 35 percent above their base salaries for hardship and another 35 percent for danger. Previously, they were paid 25 percent extra for each category, the limits the government had set decades ago for any foreign post.
Because a number of other overseas posts had also been receiving the 25 percent maximums, government authorities were under pressure from Foreign Service representatives to adjust the allowance system and differentiate the most difficult assignments from the rest. The new record-high rates underscore the especially poor security and stressful working conditions faced by U.S. government employees in Iraq and Afghanistan, even as the Bush administration continues to emphasize signs of progress there.
The pay increases were approved as part of a broader restructuring of rates that also lifted allowances for more than 20 other locations, mostly in Africa and central and southeastern Asia. But most of these increases stopped at 30 percent. Only Iraq and Afghanistan ended up with 35 percent for both hardship and danger.
"The idea was to recognize service at our most difficult and dangerous posts, and foremost among those posts are Iraq and Afghanistan," said a senior State Department official involved in the decision but willing to discuss the increases only on condition of anonymity. "We know that the department has trouble recruiting people for these places."
Congress granted permission to raise the allowances in a little-noticed foreign relations authorization provision in late December. Responsibility for determining which locations get what allowances rests with the State Department, which issued the new rates earlier this month.
The rates apply to about 80,000 U.S. government civilians working overseas and also tend to be used by private U.S. companies and other organizations as benchmarks for establishing their compensation plans for employees abroad.
State Department officials stressed that the revised allowances were not based on any reassessment of conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Rather, they said, the changes involved taking previous survey data and awarding more compensation to the worst cases.
"Over the years there had been a real compression of posts at the 25 percent level," said J. Anthony Holmes, president of the American Foreign Service Association, which pushed for the increases. "To maintain a system in which everyone is volunteering for the places they go, you want to provide incentives that reflect the true range of conditions."
Base salaries for the more than 300 State Department members working in Iraq range from about $35,000 to $155,000, according to department figures.
With word of the new hardship and danger rates still filtering through government ranks, officials said it was too early to assess the impact on attracting fresh volunteers for Iraq or Afghanistan or persuading those there to extend their assignments.
The duty involves not only very long work days and weeks but also cramped living quarters in heavily guarded compounds. A recent survey of active-duty Foreign Service officers with experience in Iraq, published this month in the Foreign Service Journal, quoted many respondents describing the working conditions as "extreme" and the security requirements as enormously constraining. At the same time, many played down financial incentives as a consideration in volunteering for Iraq duty and instead cited a desire to serve where most needed or to boost their chances for promotion.
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Get the latest US government news on recent federal affairs. Up-to-date information and analysis of federal legislation and contracts. Search for government job openings and career information.
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You May Unrot Your Mind
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A half-hour of cardio work. An hour hitting the weights. Twenty minutes playing video games. Is this the workout of the future?
It could be, if the claims Nintendo is making about its "Brain Training" games turn out to be accurate. The games, the first of which is scheduled for U.S. release next month, include a variety of mental exercises the company says are designed to keep aging minds youthful and healthy.
Brain Training is "kind of like a treadmill for the mind," said Perrin Kaplan, vice president of marketing and corporate affairs for Nintendo of America. "Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day" will go on sale April 17; its sequel, "Big Brain Academy," will be released June 5. Both games are played on Nintendo's DS handheld system.
Nintendo worked with Ryuta Kawashima, a Japanese neurologist, to develop the series. In Nintendo publicity materials, Kawashima explains that people can keep their brains young by repeatedly performing simple, fast-paced mental activities. These include counting the number of syllables in phrases, memorizing words and performing simple math problems. (Kawashima could not be reached for comment.)
Holding the dual-screen Nintendo DS device open like a book, players perform these activities on the system's touch-sensitive screen or using its built-in microphone. After playing for the first time, the games assign users a "brain age" they are meant to improve over time.
Brain Age includes 14 basic activities and several additional side games; the number puzzle game SuDoKu was added to the U.S. version.
The games are aimed at older and more casual players who aren't likely to be drawn to the more common action, adventure and racing games, Kaplan said. The series is already popular in Japan, where each title has sold more than 1 million copies and spurred several copycat versions.
Kaplan, 46, says the games are especially appealing for people such as herself who are approaching middle age and are "focused on keeping sharp."
Most Americans who have played the U.S. version of the game so far are affiliated with Nintendo.
"It has an attraction to it that's different from other games," said Alan Averill, part of the team at Nintendo that converted the game from Japanese into English. "You see a tangible benefit, and you take away a sense of pride and achievement you don't get from other games."
But independent scientists remain skeptical that "Brain Training" has real benefits.
Some research has linked regular mental exercise throughout life with delayed onset of dementia. And a few preliminary studies suggest that performing such activities as crossword puzzles and board games can boost cognitive abilities. But these data are not conclusive.
"There are actually no studies at this time showing that sustained mental engagement results in any general improvements in cognition," said Denise C. Park, professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
A good example of the uncertainty lies in the problem of color. Psychologists have long known that people read words more quickly than they can name colors. People have an especially difficult time when asked to identify the color blue if the word "green" is written in blue ink, for example. "Brain Age" features a timed version of this activity, known as the Stroop Test. But it's not clear whether improving scores on the Stroop Test has wider benefits.
"We, as scientists, suspect that this may be true, but thus far, studies have not proven this," says Park.
According to Arthur P. Shimamura, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, the Nintendo games do target "the kinds of things older people have trouble with," such as memory and recall. But "we just don't know how much it would help in real-life situations."
Besides, mental games are just one potential tool for keeping a mind in shape. Twenty percent of the blood in the human body goes to that organ, so maintaining good circulation is important, Shimamura said.
"For brain health, physical exercise is an important factor as well."
Gamers hate it when they say that. ·
Aalok Mehta is a producer for washingtonpost.com. Comments: health@washpost.com.
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Bound by Words And Much More
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Nine-year-old Craig Wanda sat cross-legged on the rug in an Arlington County schoolroom, rapt as his mother described the most terrifying night of her life.
It was 20 years ago. Rebels had taken over the Ugandan government, and the fleeing army of the old regime was raiding towns, burning out homes and shops, and terrorizing the populace.
On this night, they attacked the town where Craig's mom, Joyce, was attending a girls boarding school. She and 800 other students were in their dormitories when school officials quietly rounded them up.
"We all just took a blanket and went into the auditorium," she said. "We were told not to utter a word or else we could be discovered. . . . Then myself and my cousin thought, we can't die in a crowd. We thought we should sneak out and hide elsewhere.
"We proceeded to climb on top of the building. . . . We could clearly see smoke from a distance and could hear some gunshot-wounded people running across the road. . . . I was so scared and so frightened, fearing that that might be the last time to live."
Craig frowned in concentration. He had never heard this story.
It was another breakthrough moment in Donna Sacco's memoir class in Room 203 at Arlington Traditional School -- a class designed to get fourth- and fifth-graders and their parents in touch with their inner autobiographers.
It would seem that America's obsession with the memoir has trickled down to even the Lemony Snicket set.
The class, which has about a dozen members, meets bimonthly and spends a couple of hours brainstorming, writing and consulting, and reading accounts aloud.
The children are not fending off literary agents -- their tales of homework and family vacations are more Reese's Pieces than "A Million Little Pieces." But the exercise is helping them forge bonds with their parents and putting them more at ease with writing.
Unlike James Frey, the author excoriated by Oprah Winfrey after parts of his drug memoir turned out to be fabricated, the writers in Sacco's class are encouraged to be creative and not worry about the structures usually imposed on them by work or school.
"I've seen so many kids who in class can't produce any writing because there are just so many rules," said Sacco, who teaches at the school and started the evening writing class five months ago. "In this writers workshop, I want the students and parents to find their voice and a flow to their writing. . . . There are no rules other than 'Respect your fellow writers and their work.' "
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Nine-year-old Craig Wanda sat cross-legged on the rug in an Arlington County schoolroom, rapt as his mother described the most terrifying night of her life.
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If You Believe in Yourself . . .
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There are few basketball outcomes more unimaginable than Chaminade beating Virginia in Honolulu 24 years ago. Chaminade, back then, was an NAIA school. That's further away from big-time college sports than Division III.
Chaminade was so small back then it shared a campus with a high school. Yet, one December night in 1982, the Silverswords beat Virginia of the mighty ACC, beat the undefeated and top-ranked Cavaliers, beat three-time player of the year Ralph Sampson.
I was there, sitting in Blaisdell Arena, the night that Chaminade beat Virginia.
He was on the wrong side of history that night, an assistant coach for Virginia, stunned like everybody in the gym in what is widely believed to be the greatest upset in college basketball history.
Yesterday, coaching another school in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Larranaga was on the right side of history. Even though George Mason had defeated Michigan State and North Carolina, half of last year's Final Four, earlier in this tournament, yesterday's victory over top-seeded Connecticut for a spot in the Final Four is no less than a hush-your-mouth stunner.
For me, nothing will ever be as big an upset as Chaminade beating Virginia. A Division I power wouldn't even schedule an NAIA school anymore.
It was the basketball equivalent of a super flyweight Golden Gloves champ knocking out Muhammad Ali in his prime.
But there was so much more at stake here yesterday, which makes George Mason beating Connecticut the college basketball equivalent of Ali beating Sonny Liston, which changed the fight game as we came to know it. In eight days, we could look back and see that George Mason was good enough to win a national championship. But yesterday, the Patriots shocked the world.
Maybe -- okay, probably -- this is the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history.
At this moment, six days before the Final Four begins, George Mason is the face of the NCAA tournament, an honorable and easy-to-root-for symbol of mid-major basketball programs everywhere. A tournament that began two weeks ago amidst a contentious debate over the worthiness of mid-majors, specifically George Mason, is now down to four teams, none of them No. 1 seeds.
Duke, out. Memphis, out. Villanova, out. Connecticut, out.
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George Mason has pulled off perhaps the biggets NCAA tournament upste of all time but the Patriots players and coach never doubted their ability.
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Moussaoui Says He Was to Fly 5th Plane
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Zacarias Moussaoui took the stand at his death penalty trial yesterday and declared that he was supposed to hijack a fifth airplane on Sept. 11, 2001, and crash it into the White House in the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
The al-Qaeda operative said his role was to head a five-man crew that included Richard Reid, the British citizen who later tried to set off explosives in his shoes aboard a transatlantic flight. Moussaoui said that his orders came from Osama bin Laden and that his plan was foiled by his arrest in August 2001.
"I was supposed to pilot a plane to hit the White House," Moussaoui told a riveted federal courtroom in Alexandria. "I only knew about the two planes of the World Trade Center in addition to my own plane."
His words were as stunning as the way in which he delivered them. When he pleaded guilty to conspiring with al-Qaeda last year, Moussaoui denied involvement in Sept. 11 and insisted that he was to be part of a second wave of attacks. He then launched into one of his rambling courtroom outbursts, ending it by screaming, "God curse America!"
The familiar Moussaoui was gone yesterday. In his place was a hardened terrorist operative who spoke calmly and methodically, looking straight at his questioners as he voiced his hatred for the nation that had put him on trial for his life. "I consider every American to be my enemy," Moussaoui, 37, said as jurors leaned forward in their seats. "For me, every American is going to want my death because I want their death."
The extraordinary spectacle of an admitted al-Qaeda member testifying about the deadliest terrorist attack in American history was later matched by something equally unusual. Defense lawyers read into the record evidence gathered in the United States' secret and controversial detention system, telling jurors what Khalid Sheik Mohammed, a key planner of Sept. 11, would have said had he taken the stand.
And Mohammed's words, given to interrogators at the undisclosed location where he is being held, contradicted Moussaoui's testimony.
He said Moussaoui had been slated for a second wave of attacks that would have included targets not hit on Sept. 11, such as the White House and the Sears Tower in Chicago. Mohammed noted that the Sept. 11 attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon proceeded on schedule despite Moussaoui's arrest while taking flying lessons in Minnesota.
Even if Moussaoui's precise role is never certain, what was clear yesterday was the damage that his testimony, given over the strenuous objections of his lawyers, had done to his defense. Under cross-examination by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Spencer, Moussaoui admitted to the government's primary argument for his execution -- that he lied to the FBI after his arrest to allow the Sept. 11 attacks to go forward.
Moussaoui acknowledged that he did not know the exact date of the attacks but that he knew they were to take place just after August. He learned of the attacks while listening to the radio while in jail in Minnesota, and "I immediately understood," he testified.
Moussaoui said he lied "because I wanted my mission to go ahead," adding that he "never told them anything about the operation."
"You hid that from them. You concealed it, right?" Spencer asked.
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Zacarias Moussaoui took the stand at his death penalty trial yesterday and declared that he was supposed to hijack a fifth airplane on Sept. 11, 2001, and crash it into the White House in the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
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Senators Back Guest Workers
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A key Senate panel broke with the House's get-tough approach to illegal immigration yesterday and sent to the floor a broad revision of the nation's immigration laws that would provide lawful employment to millions of undocumented workers while offering work visas to hundreds of thousands of new immigrants every year.
With bipartisan support, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12 to 6 to side with President Bush's general approach to an immigration issue that is dividing the country, fracturing the Republican Party and ripening into one of the biggest political debates of this election year. Conservatives have loudly demanded that the government tighten control of U.S. borders and begin deporting illegal immigrants. But in recent weeks, the immigrant community has risen up in protest, marching by the hundreds of thousands to denounce what they see as draconian measures under consideration in Washington.
"There is no issue outside of civil rights that brings out the kind of emotions we have seen," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), one of the bill's primary sponsors, who called the controversy "a defining issue of our times."
Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) rushed committee members to complete their work to meet a midnight deadline imposed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), who favors a tougher approach more in line with the version passed by the House last December. But once the committee had acted, Frist declined to say last night whether he would substitute the committee's legislation for his own, which includes no guest-worker program.
Frist's efforts to wrest control of the issue from the Judiciary Committee could produce a power struggle among Republicans once the majority leader brings up the issue for debate and votes in the full Senate, probably this week. Specter and the other committee leaders may have to muscle their bill through as an amendment if Frist refuses to back down.
Frist, a presidential aspirant whom Bush helped elect as majority leader, favors tightening control of the nation's borders without granting what he calls amnesty to the approximately 11 million illegal immigrants living in this country. But Bush favors a comprehensive approach, which he says must include some program to answer business's need for immigrant labor.
"Congress needs to pass a comprehensive bill that secures the border, improves interior enforcement, and creates a temporary-worker program to strengthen our security and our economy," Bush said yesterday at a ceremony to swear in 30 new U.S. citizens from 20 countries. "Completing a comprehensive bill is not going to be easy. It will require all of us in Washington to make tough choices and make compromises."
Polls indicate about 60 percent of Americans oppose guest-worker programs that would offer illegal immigrants an avenue to lawful work status, and three-quarters of the country believe the government is doing too little to secure the nation's borders.
But the immigrant community has been galvanized by what it sees as a heavy-handed crackdown on undocumented workers by Washington. The House in December rejected calls for a guest-worker program and instead approved a bill that would stiffen penalties on illegal immigrants, force businesses to run the names of each employee through federal databases to prove their legality, deploy more border agents and unmanned aerial vehicles to the nation's frontiers and build massive walls along sections of the U.S.-Mexican border.
At least 14,000 students stormed out of schools in Southern California and elsewhere yesterday, waving flags and chanting to protest congressional actions. About 100 demonstrators, including members of the clergy, appeared at the Capitol yesterday in handcuffs to object to provisions in the House bill that would make illegal immigrants into felons and criminalize humanitarian groups that feed and house them. More than a half-million marchers protested in Los Angeles on Saturday, following protests in Phoenix, Milwaukee and Philadelphia.
"The immigration debate should be conducted in a civil and dignified way," Bush said. "No one should play on people's fears, or try to pit neighbors against each other."
A confrontation between the Senate and House Republicans now appears inevitable.
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A key Senate panel broke with the House's get-tough approach to illegal immigration yesterday and sent to the floor a broad revision of the nation's immigration laws that would provide lawful employment to millions of undocumented workers while offering work visas to hundreds of thousands of new...
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Iraqi Doctor Says He Killed Patients
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BAGHDAD, March 26 -- A doctor has admitted killing at least 35 Iraqi police officers and army soldiers by giving them lethal injections, reopening their wounds or engaging in other deadly acts while they were being treated at a hospital in the northern city of Kirkuk, according to Kurdish security sources and Kurdish television.
Kurdish television broadcast on Sunday what it said was the doctor's taped confession, in which he told police that he sympathized with the radical Sunni Arab insurgent group Ansar al-Sunna. He said that the group paid him to kill the men and that he did it because "I hate the Americans and what they've done to Iraq."
"I injected more than 35 policemen and soldiers, including officers and some who were slightly injured," the doctor, identified by a Kurdish security official as Luay Omar Taie, said in the taped statement. "I used to stop the breathing machines or cut the electricity in the operations room or reopen the wounds."
A senior official with the police intelligence agency of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), who declined to be quoted by name, confirmed the details of the case, which was first reported by the Independent newspaper in London. The circumstances of the alleged confession, including whether it might have been coerced, could not be verified.
Taie was arrested following the detention of members of a criminal gang with links to Ansar al-Sunna. The gang is responsible for kidnapping more than 150 people and executing 18 of them, the PUK intelligence official said. Arrests of insurgents soon followed.
During interrogations, the insurgents identified Taie as a doctor who had treated them. The organization selected Taie because he was young and wanted money, the official said.
In the statement aired on Kurdish television, the doctor said he was paid up to $100 for each act he committed. He asserted responsibility for killing the assistant police chief in Kirkuk, Gen. Ajman Abdullah, with a fatal injection and said he also killed the general's brother, a soldier who was admitted to the hospital after being wounded by a roadside bomb.
The doctor said he helped a wounded insurgent escape from the hospital. The intelligence official said Taie also advised insurgents on how to forge documents to claim that U.S. forces had shot their members, so that they could be treated at a hospital in Mosul, about 100 miles away.
Another Washington Post staff member contributed to this report.
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BAGHDAD, March 26 -- A doctor has admitted killing at least 35 Iraqi police officers and army soldiers by giving them lethal injections, reopening their wounds or engaging in other deadly acts while they were being treated at a hospital in the northern city of Kirkuk, according to Kurdish security...
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Proposals Call For Disclosure of Ties to Lobbyists
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In October 2001, executives from a small start-up with a promising technology approached their congressman, Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds (R-N.Y.), for help getting Pentagon notice. Reynolds, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, was intrigued, but he said Logical Images Inc. needed professional help. He recommended a few lobbying firms, including Martin Fisher Thompson and Associates.
Within weeks the firm was hired, and this year the lobbying bore fruit: Logical Images secured $1.5 million in the 2006 defense spending bill to help the Army buy the company's computer-aided medical diagnostic system. The transaction bore fruit for Reynolds, too. Four months after his referral, Martin Fisher's money started flowing -- $6,000 to Reynolds and the NRCC.
These mutually beneficial transactions are legal under House ethics rules. As long as there is no explicit quid pro quo, lawmakers can channel clients to lobbyists, who help secure home-district pet projects, or "earmarks," and in turn, those lobbyists can send part of their fees back in the form of campaign contributions. But in the wake of the corruption scandals of former representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.) and former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, congressional reformers want to shine a light on dealings that have even a whiff of impropriety.
"Anyone receiving federal funding should have to disclose what their lobbying expenses are," said Sen. John E. Sununu (R-N.H.), a co-sponsor of the toughest proposed crackdown on earmarking. "I understand people hire lobbyists. Lobbyists can be helpful in clarifying the complexities in legislation. But we should not hesitate from disclosing those kinds of contacts."
Proposals pending before the House and Senate would force lawmakers to reveal their contacts with lobbyists and disclose their involvement in winning federal spending provisions or earmarks for constituents or special interests. If such disclosures become mandatory, some in Congress hope past practices will shrivel in the light of day. If not, they hope to win passage of provisions that would allow improperly secured earmarks to be struck from bills on the House or Senate floor. The Senate will take up earmark-reform proposals as early as today, when it turns its attention to a broad package of lobbying and ethics rule changes.
"As the amount of earmarking increases, the amount contributed to campaigns increases. The lawmaker is getting a cut of the money he helped generate," said Scott Lilly, a former chief Democratic aide on the House Appropriations Committee and now a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
Lawmakers say they have done nothing wrong, legally or ethically. L.D. Platt, a spokesman for Reynolds, called it "absolutely ridiculous and ludicrous" to suggest lobbyist campaign contributions stemmed from the congressman's referrals. "Last time I checked, it's legal for lobbyists to give money to members of Congress," he said.
Home-district pet projects and other earmarks were once the intimate domain of lawmakers and their constituents, so much so that in 1989, Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) zeroed out funding for a West Virginia University building project when he learned the school had hired a lobbyist to secure the money. But an analysis by The Washington Post and the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense found numerous links among earmarks, the lawmakers who championed them and the lobbyists who pushed them. Taxpayers for Common Sense found dozens of such links on this year's defense bill alone.
Lobbyists muscled their way into the process as pork-barrel earmarking was exploding, promising to make sure their clients' requests rose to the top of the pile. The Congressional Research Service counted 3,023 earmarks worth $19.5 billion in 1996 spending bills. By this year, the number had climbed to 12,852, valued at $64 billion. The number of clients registered with Congress on budget and appropriations matters has more than doubled since 1998, from 1,665 to 3,759 in 2004, according to the Center for Public Integrity.
Lobbyists play such a central role in the appropriations process that many constituents believe they have no choice but to retain one if they hope to obtain funding for their project or organization.
"If we could have done it through Tom Reynolds alone, we would have," said Cynthia Fay, Logical Images' spokeswoman. But, she added, "a congressman trusts a lobbyist. He knows him personally. [The lobbyist] serves as a conduit."
Last year, Missouri-based Students in Free Enterprise hired Gregg Hartley, a former chief of staff to House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), to help diversify its funding base, said Michelle West, the group's spokeswoman. Students in Free Enterprise paid Hartley $80,000 for the first six months of the year, according to lobbying records, and quickly secured $750,000 to expand its Springfield headquarters, and another $250,000 through the State Department to continue an international student exchange program.
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Latest politics news headlines from Washington DC. Follow 2006 elections, campaigns, Democrats, Republicans, political cartoons, opinions from The Washington Post. Features government policy, government tech, political analysis and reports.
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Police Finding It Hard to Fill Jobs
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LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Police departments around the country are contending with a shortage of officers and trying to lure new applicants with signing bonuses, eased standards, house down payments and extra vacation time.
From this seaside Southern California city to Washington's suburbs, more than 80 percent of the nation's 17,000 law enforcement agencies, big and small, have vacancies that many can't fill, police officials estimate.
"I was just at a conference of police chiefs," said William Bratton, the chief of police in Los Angeles, which has 720 openings. "It was all everybody was talking about."
Police officials and researchers say a confluence of demographic changes and social trends have precipitated the shortage. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have siphoned off public-service-minded people to the military. Hundreds of law enforcement officers have handed in their badges to take higher-paying positions in the booming homeland security industry.
And each year an increasingly large number of baby-boomer officers, hired in the 1970s, retires. The labor pool in the next generation is smaller, further cutting the number of prospective applicants.
The younger generation is better educated than its predecessor, so a career in policing, where the average starting salary is $32,000, is not as attractive as it was before.
Prince William, Fairfax and Loudoun counties all have recently instituted programs -- signing bonuses, bounties for county employees recommending successful candidates, and pay increases -- designed to keep their police departments intact.
In the District, officials said they have noticed increased competition for applicants but are not facing a shortage. But Prince George's County began a $1 million advertising campaign last summer touting police work as exciting and challenging in the hope of boosting its chronically understaffed ranks. The force is 60 officers short of its authorized complement of 1,420 officers.
Elsewhere, departments have dropped their zero-tolerance policy on drug use and past gang association, eased restrictions on applicants with bad credit ratings, and tweaked physical requirements to make room for more female candidates or smaller male candidates, police officials said. Departments also offer crash courses in reading and remedial English for the written parts of the entrance exam, and provide strength and agility coaches for the physical part -- all of which have raised concerns about how qualified some of the new personnel will be.
"We no longer say if you've smoked marijuana five times, you can't be in the LAPD," said Cmdr. Kenneth Garner, who runs recruitment for the Los Angeles Police Department. "If we did that, I'd be sitting in this office by myself. But we really take a hard look at honesty."
In the past, some recruitment drives have resulted in questionable hiring. In 1989 and 1990, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, seeking to quell a crime wave, mistakenly hired numerous gang members and people with substantial criminal histories and drug and credit problems. Some were later implicated in questionable police shootings.
Experts said that while they hope the inherently conservative nature of law enforcement agencies will protect against a slew of bad hires, there is a concern that with a smaller pool of applicants, less-qualified people are becoming police officers.
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LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Police departments around the country are contending with a shortage of officers and trying to lure new applicants with signing bonuses, eased standards, house down payments and extra vacation time.
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On Iraq, Pointed Questions With an Edge
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In increasingly aggressive questions to President Bush and Vice President Cheney, in a growing focus on the death toll in Iraq, in downbeat assessments on the invasion's third anniversary, many journalists now reflect the view that the war has gone horribly wrong.
Perhaps this simply reflects the stark reality of the suicide bombings, roadside explosions and mosque attacks that have come to dominate the reporting from Iraq. Or perhaps, as Cheney put it on "Face the Nation," journalists provide a distorted "perception" of Iraq "because what's newsworthy is the car bomb in Baghdad."
What is undeniable is that the tone of much of the coverage matches the public-opinion polls showing that a majority of the country has turned against the conflict.
"One thing that would explain it is there's even more bad news from Iraq and other places -- Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea," says Ken Auletta, media writer for the New Yorker. "But even that doesn't fully explain the harshness of the reportage. With two-thirds of the public not approving of Bush's performance, it becomes open season on him. And when conservatives start attacking him, reporters are given more cover."
But Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter says journalists were never cheerleaders for the war. "You can find tough-minded stories in a lot of newspapers and magazines going back three years," he says. "It does a disservice to hardworking reporters, in some cases risking their lives, to make it seem like in one week they go from pro-war to antiwar."
The journalists certainly don't see themselves as antiwar. But the way they frame many stories about Iraq sliding toward civil war carries echoes of Vietnam, when the media coverage turned sharply critical as the country soured on that jungle war.
Consider the questions asked at Bush's news conference last week.
ABC's Jessica Yellin: "Are you willing to sacrifice American lives to keep Iraqis from killing one another?"
CNN's Kathleen Koch: "Do you believe [Defense Secretary Donald] Rumsfeld should resign?"
USA Today's David Jackson: "Are you concerned that the Iraq experience is going to embolden authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and make it tougher to get democracy there?"
Bob Deans of Cox News: "Is there a point at which having the American forces in Iraq becomes more a part of the problem than a part of the solution?"
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Have the media declared war on the war? In increasingly aggressive questions to President Bush and Vice President Cheney, in a growing focus on the death toll in Iraq, in downbeat assessments on the invasion's third anniversary, many journalists now reflect the view that the war has gone horribly...
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Finding Your "Inner Finn"
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"Like bungee jumping or joining the Marines, traveling to Finland inwinter gives visitors a chance to see what they're made of, to measuretheir ability to withstand everything from darkness at noon to Arcticblizzards against that of some of the most durable human beings on earth."
So wrote Bill Thomas in Sunday's Washington Post Magazine Spring Travel Issue. . Thomas was online Monday, March 27, at 1 p.m. ET to field questions and comments about the story and the renowned fortitude and resilience of the Finnishpeople.
Bill Thomas is co-author of "Red Tape: Adventure Capitalism in the NewRussia."
Washington, D.C.: As as mother of Sisu (my 3 y. old son) I highly appreciated your wonderful article about Finnish sisu. No need to say, my Sisu has lots of sisu too.
Bill Thomas: Washington, DC: Thanks. A boy named "Sisu." Sounds like the Finnish version of a Johnny Cash song.
Maple, Wisc.: As much as I admire the Finns (I'm fully related to them) those who live with the challenges of the climate in our own country in the northern tier of states are about as impressive, wouldn't you agree?
Bill Thomas: Maple, Wisc: Where is Maple, Wisconsin? I admire anyone who can put up with extreme cold, though I perfer palm trees and sandy beaches.
Helsinki, Finland: Thank you Sir for your quite accurate and funny article. To survive the dark winter months and `krapular3auna or `purgatoryCéth an icy dip you do get rather close to what SISU is all about.
With best wishes and welcome back,
PS. You are SO much more courageous than Conan (OË©en)
Bill Thomas: Hello, Helsinki: Looking forward to a return trip to Finland this summer. I liked Conan O'Brien's dream job -official women's sauna inspector. But I don't think he fully understood the working conditions.
Arlington, Va: There are two sides to the "sisu" coin. That fierce determination or "guts" as its closest english translation can also be stubborness prevailing against common sense - like the Finn shoveling the sidewalk during the blizzard. Did any of your acquaintances talk much about this less flattering aspect of sisu? (I was in Finland for a week in summer 2002 and fell in love with the people, their spirit and the whole country.)
Bill Thomas: Arlington, Va: If geography is destiny, the Finns seem to be in the right place. Stubborness is part of the package, though Finns woulod probably call it determination.
Silver Spring, Md: First of all, loved the article. What a tribute to personal perserverance. I am a big admirer of the Scandinavian culture.Second, did you ever look at the other side though? It's my understanding that Scandinavians have a very high rate of depression and alchoholism. Did you see eveidence of this during your trip? I know it wasn't the main focus of the article, but I'm just curious.
Bill Thomas: Silver Spring: I was trying to look on the bright side. But I can see how the harsh climate might be a problem. Isn't that why saunas were invented?
started reading your article about helsinki becasue my good friend richard stites was in helsinki .. and there he was!
how is 'richik' doing? when i stayed with him in helsinki in 1996, he set me up with a russian woman, who became my wife. it's a great story.
Bill Thomas: McLean: Stites is a real romantic. He's is back in Washington. I ran into him a few months ago.
Arlington, Va.: I have heard that Finland is one of the most wired countries
in the world. Did you find Internet access everywhere you
Bill Thomas: Arlington: Wired is right. Even little kids have cell phones.
Fredericksburg, Va: I love Finland! Sisu is what sets Finland apart. It is not just determination or stubborness but also a fundemental understanding that one can prevail and/or survive just about anything if you set your mind to it. It should be noted that the Finnish Armed Personnel Carrier Combat vehicle is called the Sisu.
Bill Thomas: Fredericksburg: I share your feelings about the Finnish people. Look at everything they've accomplished - and all of it while living in a Jack London adventure.
Arlington (2) Va: But don't you think it ironic that the Finns - so famous for being tight-lipped all have cell phones? Do the Finns get how funny this is? They don't talk (the stero-type) but all have cell phones?
Bill Thomas: Arlington: For people who don't seem to talk much, they do spend a lot of time on their cell phones.
Formerly in Finland: As an American who used to live in Finland well north of Helsinki, I was prepared for the weather, prepared for the darkness, etc. However, I was not prepared for an attitude that I think you captured perfectly when you did not get a ride to the institute - Finns will not offer a helping hand, and look at you oddly if you ask for one. I injured my back pretty badly, and the expectation that I would continue with the physical aspects of my job rather astounded me. I'm no wimp and continued working, but having cracked vertebrae really hurt. Even more routine things, like not opening a door for someone with their hands full, etc., bothered me. However, I had not linked this lack of helpfulness to sisu until you described it as such, which actually makes a lot of sense. Thanks!
Bill Thomas: Fromerly in Finland: Finns expect people to put up with discomfort and would probably find it laughable that schools and businesses in Washington close at the slightest mention of snow. I can't explain the reaction to your back problem, though.
Bethesda, Md.: What are the Finnish saunas like? What is their tradition of going from warm to jumping into cold water or into the snow, or getting slapped to get the cirulation going? I would fear that stuff like that would stop my heart. What are they really like?
Bill Thomas: Bethesda: Finnish style saunas are amazing, like a trip to the tropics in the middle of winter. The extreme heat and extreme cold (along with getting smacked by tree branches) are supposed to shock the body into good health, although for guys jumping into icy water at 30 below does produce some shrinkage.
Washington, DC: What is email address forSports Institute of Finland?
Second - when I visited "Purgatory" sauna the Finns said they get sisu by inhaling steam from the wood fire inside sauna. Did you hear that?
100 Best Spas of the World
Bill Thomas: Washington: Check out the Finnish Sauna Society's web site. A smoke sauna is a pretty elaborate affair. The temperature, I was told, got up to 250 degrees, and when water was tossed onto the stove it sent a blast of humidity into air that made it feel like breathing fire.
Arlington, Va: "Sisu" is also the name of one of those Finnish icebreakers that keeps the harbor open. It was the name given to the first ever of those large ships and its successor is still in Helsinki harbor.
Bill Thomas: Arlington: Speaking of the Finnish ice breaking fleet, I believe it's possible to book passage. Imagine going on an two-week ice-crushing vacation on board the "Sisu."
Austin, Tex: I visited friends who serve in the US Foreign Service while they were stationed in Helsinki. One visit was in February, 1998, and there was a heat wave -- temperatures reached freezing. I was told "there is no bad weather, only bad clothing." I am left to assume this declaration is of Finnish origin -- a perspective that would result from sisu.
Bill Thomas: Austin: I've got to remember that - "no bad weather, only bad clothing." That should be Finland's motto.
Hancock, Mich: Hi Mr. Thomas - can't let you get away today without greetings from Hancock, MI, home of Finlandia University, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (talk about cold winters).
I'm not a Finlander, but being surrounded by them (lots of them) so I can with certain confiedence that, along with saunas and long-distance running, Finlanders have a strong national pride in the arts -- eg, their arts/crafts movement and classical music. Care to comment on the fine arts in Finland?
Bill Thomas: Hancock: Finnish architecture is world famous, and you can see lots of it in America. Dulles Airport outside Washington and the St Louis Arch were designed by a Finn. A Finn conducts the LA Symphony. Until Finland switched to Euros, Sibelius used to be on the Finnish ten mark note. Walking around Helsinki, which I recommend for anyone interested in design, is like a trip through a building museum.
Arlington, Va: Just a comment: The Finnish sauna is the most wonderful place! The feeling after taking a sauna is impossible to describe: a total feeling of being born again, adn, the world seems to be a much more tolerable a place than it was before you went in. And one gets really-really clean! the finnnish women do not sport such a pretty skin for nothing.On another note: I once dates a Finn. There were no half-shades, either yes or no. It was rough but simple, and no reason to twist my brain over the "what did he really say" question.And: Finns are no way wimps and do not think much of the people who are. One must be able to live the life as it comes at you. In rural areas, the women go to sauna, give birth, and come back to the main house to finish chores. what must get done is getting done.
I truly like the peoples from that region.
Bill Thomas: Arlington: You said it all. Finns let you know where you stand. Period. And Finnish women are particularly refreshing in that respect. It's yes or no, as you put it. Take a look at a Russian movie called The Cuckoo that explores this subject in great detail
Arlington, Va: Do the Finns say the sauna is a way to recover from "krapula"?
Bill Thomas: Arlington: It's one of the ways. A spicy bowl of pea soup is another.
Bill Thomas: Great questions. Sorry I couldn't get to all of them. As they say in Finland, Hey-hey.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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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Bill Thomas will field questions and comments about his story in the Spring Travel Issue and the renowned fortitude and resilience of the Finnish people.
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Some Question Soriano's Effort
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VIERA, Fla., March 26 -- Alfonso Soriano, the Washington Nationals' left fielder, had a line drive sail over him in the top of the first inning Sunday, then hit the first pitch he saw well over the left field fence in the bottom of the inning, a preview of the give and take he might provide all season. Yet he provided the performance against an uneasy backdrop, for some members of the organization don't think he's working hard enough to improve in the outfield.
Jose Guillen, the Nationals' right fielder, launched a pair of two-run homers, his first of the spring, then provided two bits of news afterward: He might not be healthy enough to play on Opening Day, and he wants his proposed contract extension to be completed before the season. If it's not done, he reiterated that he would break off negotiations with the club.
Thus, the Nationals' spring training entered its final week, and, as one front-office member said, "What's the next drama going to be?"
"This has been the oddest spring training I've ever been associated with," Manager Frank Robinson said.
So, why not an odd beginning to the final week? Start with Soriano. When the erstwhile second baseman reluctantly agreed earlier in the week to move to the outfield, the Nationals pledged to work with him so he could learn the position in a condensed period of time. Yet on a cool, breezy Sunday morning, Soriano took some fly balls off the fungo bat of special assistant Jose Cardenal, then took batting practice, then slipped inside the clubhouse. Cardenal, though, feels he should stay on the field to shag flies so he can better learn to read balls coming off the bat.
"I cannot force him to do anything that he don't want to do," Cardenal said. "It's up to him. I only can tell him, 'Just go and do this, do that, for your own good. Then you can become a better outfielder.' But if you don't want to do it, I can't put a rifle to him and say, 'Do it.' Sometimes, you have to know how hungry you are."
The point was emphasized in the first inning of what became a 13-6 victory over the Houston Astros. Lance Berkman sent a line drive to left that Soriano tracked poorly. He eventually leaped, but the ball sailed over him and turned into a run-scoring double.
"I see the contact," Soriano said. "But after awhile, when the ball left the infield, I lost it a little bit."
It is instances like that that make Cardenal, who was a major league outfielder for 18 seasons, believe that every opportunity to work is important.
"I can give him 1,000 fungoes, and it's not going to be the same," Cardenal said. "Fungoes are only to loosen you up. He needs to see the way the ball comes off the bat during the game. Get the angles, see fly balls and grounders."
Before the game Sunday, Soriano said he would work more in the outfield Monday, when the Nationals play the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter.
"Maybe tomorrow I see the ball off the bat during BP," he said. "I take it one day at a time."
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This is your source for info on Washington Nationals baseball. Learn about DC baseball at the RFK stadium. Get the latest schedule and stats for the Washington Nationals. Stay updated on the latest Washington Nationals news!
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Hughes Looking At Rural Internet
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Hughes Network Systems LLC, a Germantown satellite service company trying to reposition itself after the sale of its DirecTV satellite television business, plans to announce a campaign today aimed at selling Internet access to small businesses and consumers in rural parts of the country.
The Hughes Communications Inc. subsidiary, which has 1,500 employees, already has about 275,000 customers in what it considers "underserved" parts of the country. But after a recent restructuring, Hughes officials say they see the company's future more tightly tied to providing Internet access, Web sites and other services to the estimated 10 million to 15 million households without access to a high-speed broadband connection.
The new retail emphasis comes after Hughes Communications' quiet conversion in recent weeks into a publicly traded company.
The developer of the DirecTV satellite service, Hughes was taken over by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. in late 2003. Murdoch moved DirecTV to a separate company and in January sold his remaining interest in Hughes for $100 million to SkyTerra Holdings Inc., already a major Hughes investor. SkyTerra, which formed Hughes Communications, is a subsidiary of Apollo Management LP, a New York private equity firm.
Apollo is retaining a 70 percent share in Hughes Communications, but it has offered 30 percent of the company's stock for public sale on the Over the Counter Bulletin Board.
Shares of Hughes Communications began trading at around $25 in late February and closed at $31.35 on Friday, down 65 cents. Company chief executive Pradman P. Kaul said there was a "good possibility" that the company would attempt to move to the Nasdaq market in the coming months.
Hughes's main business today is managing satellite networks for companies with disparate locations around the country, such as hotels, retailers, restaurants and gas stations. That business took off in the mid-1980s when Wal-Mart Stores Inc. hired Hughes to connect its stores.
But in recent years, according to Kaul, that business has been "relatively flat." To add new customers, the company is concentrating on sales to businesses and individuals in regions where traditional broadband is unavailable.
Today the firm will roll out its new brand, HughesNet, along with a new line of managed services for small businesses. "The growth today is coming from consumers and small and medium-sized businesses," Kaul said. "We saw that grow very well last year, and we expect to see it continue to grow this year."
According to Northern Sky Research, there are as many as 15 million households without access to broadband service.
"We're seeing a market that will pay what we need to be paid in order to make an economic case" for the business, Kaul said.
Hughes will never compete with traditional broadband and DSL service providers because satellite services are much more expensive. While "terrestrial" high-speed Internet packages are $30 to $40 a month, Hughes's basic monthly services start at about $60.
The company is also expanding its services to include applications to help businesses build and maintain Web sites, e-mail systems and other online functions. The typical business customer the company will target, Hughes executives said in a news briefing Friday, is likely to be a medical or legal practice that needs access to high-speed Internet services but doesn't have the option to use a cable network.
In 2005 Hughes generated about $800 million in revenue, according to Kaul, but he declined to say how much of it came from Wal-Mart and other large businesses and how much was from small businesses and consumers. In 2004, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the firm lost about $1.43 billion on $789 million in revenue.
An agreement with DirecTV Group prevents Hughes from offering satellite television until 2010, but Kaul said that is unlikely to become a major part of its business even after the clause expires.
Hughes's satellites remained with Murdoch's company, so the firm currently leases satellite services from providers like Intelsat and PanAmSat. In the first quarter of 2007, however, the firm plans to launch a new satellite of its own, and it will be conserving cash this year to pay for the launch.
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This is your source for news on personal technology. Find info and reviews on the newest technology that affects your life. Read our latest features on new tech gadgets.
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Northrop Rises In IT Rankings
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After Northrop Grumman Corp. finished a series of acquisitions to build a $10 billion federal information technology operation, the company found it also had a substantial state and local business.
The business -- worth about $400 million -- was scattered in pieces around the company, none of which was making much of an impact on the market. That's changed.
In 2004, the Los Angeles-based company pulled together what once had been parts of Litton PRC Inc., Logicon Inc., TRW Inc. and other companies. Northrop Grumman's state and local business, which now operates under one roof in Herndon, has won three major outsourcing deals in the past 18 months, helping it to climb a notch on Washington Technology's annual Who's Who list of the top state and local systems integrators. It now is among companies with $500 million to $1 billion in annual revenue from systems integration for state and local government, the second-biggest category in the ranking.
Northrop Grumman's advance is most visible in its two largest 2005 wins: a 10-year, $2 billion contract to revamp and run Virginia's outdated IT infrastructure and a seven-year, $667 million contract to run San Diego County's IT and telecommunications capabilities.
"If we were the stealth IT company in state and local, that is no longer the case," said Cheryl Janey, vice president of business development and strategy for Northrop Grumman's commercial, state and local group.
The state and local government market is smaller than federal IT spending, but it is growing faster. Like Northrop Grumman, other companies are moving quickly to pursue lucrative opportunities.
For the fifth consecutive year, Electronic Data Systems Corp., International Business Machines Corp. and Affiliated Computer Services Inc. maintained their positions atop Washington Technology's Who's Who list. Each company has more than $1 billion in annual state and local revenue.
In the second tier, with $500 to $1 billion in revenue, Northrop Grumman joined Accenture Ltd. of Hamilton, Bermuda; Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu of New York; Maximus Inc. of Reston; and Unisys Corp. of Blue Bell, Pa.
Market research firm Federal Sources Inc. (FedSources) of McLean compiled the list and ranked systems integrators by their estimated revenue from state and local IT services work.
Analysts predict that the state and local IT market will pick up momentum over the next 12 months as states, flush with cash from a better fiscal year than anticipated, grow more ambitious than in the recent past.
State and local IT spending is expected to grow at a rate of 7.5 percent annually, from $47.3 billion in 2006 to $58.8 billion in 2009, according to the Stamford, Conn., market research firm Gartner Inc.
The one potential speed bump could be November's state and local elections. Some projects that had been delayed for years as states waited for their budgets to rebound could be held up again while state leadership positions are determined, industry analysts said.
One of the first large requests for proposals for this year is expected from the Texas Information Resources Department for data center consolidation and operations, anticipated to be worth at least $500 million over five years, according to FedSources.
Ethan Butterfield is a staff writer with Washington Technology. For more of this special report go tohttp://www.washingtontechnology.com.
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After Northrop Grumman Corp. finished a series of acquisitions to build a $10 billion federal information technology operation, the company found it also had a substantial state and local business.
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The HDTV Effect
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The advancement of HDTV is having a direct effect on how newscasts and other programs are broadcasted. In Saturday's story, Ready for Their Close-Up? , by Post staff writer Steven Levingston, Phillip Swann calls HDTV "the ultimate reality television" because of the amazing details it can air.
Swann was online Monday, March 27 at Noon ET for a discussion on how HDTV and technology is changing the way television is viewed and produced.
Swann runs the Web site, TVPredictions.com , which explores how television technologies are changing our culture. He is also the author of "TV dot Com: The Future of Interactive Teleivision."
Will this ruin movie star careers: or just make us peons feel better about ourselves?
I saw a movie in HDTV recently with a star that used to be an icon of beauty. Now I don't feel so ugly anymore.
Phillip Swann: Stars who look beautiful in real-life look even better in HDTV. But stars who have skin problems, etc. will have a problem in high-def.
So I think HDTV will level the playing field. No longer will Hollywood be able to decide who's beautiful and who's not.
Arlington, Va.: Am I correct in thinking that the intensely intimate detail of HDTV is going to pose serious issues for the adult video industry? Blemishes and imperfections are bad enough, but when they start showing up in high detail on parts of the body that can barely stand a close-up anyway, even the hard-core audience may be turned off.
I'm asking this question semi-humorously, but I'm genuinely interested to hear whether the adult film productions consider HDTV to require serious adaptation.
Phillip Swann: I once interviewed the president of Playboy TV who said he feared that "some of the girls" would not be pretty enough for HDTV! He left Playboy soon after the interview. Hmm, wonder why. :)
I think HDTV will generate even more interest in adult films because they will add even more realism.
The adult industry is investing heavily to get ready. There's a director named Nicholas Steels who has been doing his adult movies in HD for three years.
Winter Springs, Fla.: When will HDTV sets be priced for the average consumer? They are still too expensive for us.
Phillip Swann: This is one of my favorite questions. I often ask people how much they think a high-def set costs. Their response: $3,000. $5,000. Maybe $2,000.
However, you can buy a 52-inch HDTV ready set from a name company such as RCA now for less than $1,000!
The retailers have purposely promoted the higher priced HD sets, but there are relatively inexpensive sets out there now.
Princeton, N.J.: I'm in the market for a 50" plasma and I see most top out at 1080i for the specs. Do you think it is worth it to wait for such plasmas to be bumped up to 1080p so that the set can be future proofed? Or should I just go ahead and purchase one today? Thanks.
Phillip Swann: If you have the money, get one now. It will be years before 1080p becomes the standard for programmers and producers.
Thank you for doing this chat. I'm currently a DirecTV subscriber and am interested in upgrading to their HD service with DVR; however, I hear the current DirecTV HD DVR uses MPEG2 technology instead of the MPEG4 format that DirecTV is moving into. Do you know of any plans by DirecTV to upgrade their HD DVR to MPEG4 format?
Phillip Swann: Yes, DIRECTV will upgrade to MPEG4 this year, but they haven't announced any launch dates.
Anonymous: when will Dish network get HDTV?
Phillip Swann: Dish Network now offer more national HDTV channels than any other cable or satellite provider.
Mount Airy, Md.: I'm in the market for a 50" plasma HDTV. My early research has lead me to either Pioneer or Panasonic. What advice would you give me as I begin shopping? Thanks!
Phillip Swann: I never recommend one brand over another, but I will say that Panasonic's Plasma sets have received better reviews from objective sources such as Consumer Reports than any other set maker.
Silver Spring, Md.: What are the current limits of networks broadcasting in HD? For example, for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, only half the games were broadcast in HD. Does CBS have a lack of HD cameras, or why do you think this was the case?
Phillip Swann: Sort of. It's more expensive to produced a live event in HDTV. Plus, some arenas are not wired for HD. So, that's why you see the network produce some sports in HD but not all.
Vancouver, B.C.: Who has the upper hand in the new HD DVD technology - Sony or Toshiba?
I now have an HD TV and an HD capable cable box. The pictures are tremendous and I wouldn't have made the purchase if it weren't for P. Swann's articles.
Education is paramount in all decision-making and being guided in relatively plain-english by PSwann is what the TV mfg's should do more off. Keep up the great work!
Phillip Swann: Sony has more support among the studios, but Toshiba's initial players will be cheaper. So, the battle is on.
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.: Why can't i get local HD Chanels over DirecTV satellite without a waiver from stations (which they constantly deny) and have to resort to Over the Air for them?
Phillip Swann: DIRECTV this year is adding local HDTV channels in dozens of markets. Ft. Lauderdale will likely be on the list.
As for the waiver, the local stations want you to watch their channels so they do not want you to get national HD feeds from out of market cities.
Reston, Va.: How much longer before we start seeing more channels offering HD content?
Phillip Swann: Good question. Short answer: When more people buy HDTVs, more networks will launch HD channels. And that's coming soon.
Cleveland, Ohio: Is there a guru who has emerged for helping on-air folks get ready for their close-ups?
Phillip Swann: A guru? I know some companies are specializing in high-def makeup.
Falls Church, Va.: This question shows how oblivious I've been to the whole HDTV issue: How can I tell if a TV set I bought last year is HDTV-compatible? Should the more rectangular shape of the screen be sufficient to clue me in or do I need to do other research here?
Thanks for helping me clear this up (and cross it off my "to do" list).
Phillip Swann: Look at your manual. If the set is "HDTV-ready" or has a HDTV tuner inside, it can receive high-def signals. The HDTV-ready set, though, will need a connecting high-def tuner.
Silver Spring, Md.: One real leap with HDTV is that it puts visual interest back into TV. Beautifully filmed TV shows or great locations where really of secondary interest to the actors/story. Now though, the visual elements are of equal interest. I'm not much of a reality TV guy, but I love the watch the Amazing Race with its locations all over the world on my big HD. Nature shows - amazing.
Phillip Swann: Hate to tell you: The Amazing Race is not in HDTV.
Washington, D.C.: My roomate and I just got HDTV, and have been watching the college tournment. It's amazing! That said, CBS's HDTV technology doesn't seem as good as Fox's. Are there different types?
Phillip Swann: There are different ways to transmit HD pictures, but it's even more complicated than that. The picture can vary depending upon several reasons, such as the original network feed, the delivery method used by your cable or satellite provider, even how your local network affiliate transmits the signal.
Ashburn, Va.: I love TIVO and can't imagine watching TV without one (I own 3 of them). But I've been holding out on buying an HDTV TIVO because I don't want to waste my money being an early adopter. If I needed HDTV TIVO-like features, what would you suggest? HDTV TIVO? Media-Center PC? XBox 360? Wait for PS3? Is this a good year to buy such a device (with respect to price)? What would you choose?
Phillip Swann: If your local cable operator has a HD DVD, get it. I have one and it's great.
Reston, Va.: The article highlights the blemishes in, for example, Keira Knightly and Brad Pitt's complexions when seen on HDTV. How do they handle close ups on movies? Wouldn't these be obvious on a 40 feet high movie screen? The resolution there is greater than HDTV surely?
Phillip Swann: It's easier to hide the flaws in movies for several reasons. One, in the theater, you don't get the same detail as HDTV because the picture is blown up onto the large screen. Two, digital effects artists often remove the blemishes before the movie is released. That's why Brad Pitt's acne may not be noticeable when you see him in a movie theater.
However, if Pitt shows up on the red carpet of a high-def broadcast of an awards show, look out. His name may be Pitt, but his face is a crater.
Atlanta, Ga.: What can be done to regulate the transmission quality of HDTV - what can be done to eliminate "HD Lite"?
Phillip Swann: It's a real problem 'HD Lite' is when a cable or satelite provider purposely reduces the quality of the signal so it can squeeze more channels onto the air. Consequently, the picture is not as crisp and vivid as it should be.
The solution: Complain to the provider.
Washington DC: I just received a letter from Comcast(my cable TV provider) saying they are going to be switching to HD for their HBO and Showtime channels and that I need to contact them about getting a separate box (presumably for an additional cost) so I can receive the HD broadcasts. In the newspaper article, the newscasts being broadcast in HD were still viewable using analogue TVs. I don't understand why I shouldn't be able to continue to watch HBO and Showtime without the box. Can you help explain this?
Phillip Swann: The box is a high-def tuner. Without a high-def tuner (and a HDTV), you can't receive high-def signals, from HBO or anyone else.
Laurel, Md.: I was considering buying a 42-inch plasma TV later this year. But after reading about SED TV's, I'm thinking I should hold off till next year and compare. What would you recommend?
Phillip Swann: I wouldn't wait. SED actually has been delayed again. If you buy a 42-inch Plasma set, you will be happy. But make sure it's HD -- not ED (Enhanced Definition.)
Alexandria, Va.: Is it me, or is OTA HDTV more trouble than it is worth? I usually get my signals via DirecTV with digital quality. Clearly, the picture in general is better with the HDTV.
However, when I switch to my OTA antenna to pull in the local HDTV feeds, it's not worth the effort. Some channels come in better than others - regular fiddling with the antenna, on the local Fox the audio drops and pops. Is this just my setup?
Phillip Swann: It depends on what kind of antenna you have and where you live. Some people wouldn't give up their off-air signals for anything, saying the picture is better than cable or satellite's HD.
Annapolis, Md.: How much data is required to deliver an HD signal, particularly the 1080 standards? In my opinion, IPTV has a brilliant future, and I'm curious to know how big a pipe the average consumer is going to need to get High Def programmer via their internet provider.
In short, how "big" is a typical hour's worth of HDTV, in bytes?
Phillip Swann: HDTV takes up more room than a "regular" channel, perhaps as much as seven times as much. Which explains, in part, why the cable and satellite operators have not added more HD channels to their lineup. One HDTV channel could take up as much room on their servers as seven basic cable channels.
McLean, Va.: Have you heard anything about Verizon's FIOS HDTV offerings or seen their programming in HD? It's now available in select markets and cheaper than DirecTV.
Phillip Swann: I'm happy to see Verizon and AT&T enter the business. They should put more pressure on cable and satellite to keep prices down and programming options up. However, I don't give the telcos much chance of surviving in the long run. The cable and satellite ops have too many advantages.
Orlando, Fla.: The main reason I keep DirecTV is for the NFL Sunday Ticket, which is available in HD. Now that you can get MLB Extra Innings on Cable, will the NFL follow suit?
Phillip Swann: The NFL seems happy with DIRECTV and I believe their contract is good until 2009.
Arlington, Va.: Where was that 50" HDTV monitor for $1000? I'll but it tonight!
Phillip Swann: Go to Best Buy or Circuit City. I helped my father buy a 52-inch RCA HDTV-ready set for just $999. I've seen it for $899 since.
Why: I've seen HDTV and I feel compelled to ask...what's the big deal? I don't understand the fuss. If and when I buy a new TV, I'll look at HDTV options, but I really don't care that much and I don't have any impetus to replace the old with the new. Honestly, I've seen the difference in picture quality and I don't think it is much of an upgrade. Much ado about nothing, with apologies to the Bard.
Phillip Swann: It is a big deal. When properly done, the HDTV picture is like looking through a window -- it's that realistic.
Arlington, Va.: I like to watch a lot of sports. Which is better, 1080 or 720? And will one be phased out eventually, is that something I need to look for?
Phillip Swann: It's a chicken and egg question. I prefer 1080i normally, but ESPN uses 720p for football and it looks sensational.
Reston, Va.: With a choice between HDTV and season tickets to the Redskins, I went with HD and couldn't be happier (no parking hassles, comfortable seating, no Eagles fans fighting). A few questions ....
Are there additional costs to the cable systems for offering more HD channels? What are the additional costs to the producers and broadcasters for offering an HD feed. What is the process that TNT has used to bump all the Law and Orders to HD?
Phillip Swann: Law and Order is actually filmed in HD by NBC.
Columbia, Md.: what has the better picture quality/resolution: HDTV or a standard movie theater? When I go to the movies, the picture doesn't appear as sharp as my HDTV. Granted the screen size is a lot smaller than a cinema but is this the case in resolution?
Phillip Swann: Exactly. As I noted before, HDTV's picture is much crisper than a movie screen. Whenever I see a movie in HDTV that I had previously seen in the theater, I'm amazed at how much clearer things look.
McLean, Va.: I have Verizon FiOS delivering HDTV to a HD-DVR. Wonderful picture quality and a reasonably good DVR. My question is: DVR is nice, but how soon do you guess it might be before the programming providers (Cable, sattelite, FiOS, etc.) start providing HD movies ON DEMAND ?
Phillip Swann: DIRECTV and some of the cable providers now offer HD On Demand. However, the lineups are thin.
Ithaca, N.Y.: Thanks for doing this chat. Do you have any projections on which cable networks will be next to launch an HD sibling?
Phillip Swann: Projections? You mean Predictions! Like TV Predictions! :)
I think you'll soon see a new HD channel from Fox. Maybe CNN, too.
Georgetown: You're right that The Amazing Race isn't in HD, but it is in a better standard (enhanced TV?) via my HD tuner than normal over the air -- the picture is slightly more rectangular and is definitely higher quality, although not the lush HD we'd see on Lost.
My question: can anything be done about the delay in transmitting HD signals? During the NCAA's, there was as much as a 3-second lag on HD from goold old Channel 9.
Phillip Swann: The delay is necessary at this point to keep the audio and picture in sync. Maybe later.
Arlington, Va.: If the price and size were equal, and you watched a lot of sports (not so many movies), would you go with LCD, CRT, Plasma, Rear Projection, DLP, or something else?
Phillip Swann: Depends on your wallet. If you have the bucks, I would get Plasma. But LCD and DLP are great, too.
Along with my Directv High-Def dish, I have a Free-to-Air dish to pick up unencrypted national and international channels from various KU satellites (unfortunately only in 480i).
Do you know if there is there a similar interest in going high-def in other countries? As I would love to catch some of the rugby and soccer matches in the same quality as NFL games
Phillip Swann: The United Kingdom is launching high-def this spring. Interestingly, they seem fascinated with the angle that you can see celebs as they look in real life.
Washington, D.C.: Phillip, thanks for taking questions.
We have an older, small television in our bedroom which is only ever used for broadcast TV. I'd like to replace it with a flat-screen HDTV but have been dismayed to find that smaller sets do not come equipped with built-in HDTV tuners. Stand-alone tuners are outrageously expensive.
Will small sets with built-in HDTV tuners appear any time soon? I want to upgrade that TV but hate the idea of buying an analog TV in 2006. It just doesn't seem right.
Phillip Swann: Absolutely. There will be smaller TVs with HD tuners. Depending upon the size you're talking about, there are some now, in fact.
burn-in question: How concerned do I have to be about "burn-in" (i.e. uneven pixel wear) on my Panasonic high def plasma TV? I turned the brightness down to 50%, but I dislike watching 4:3 images stretched into widescreen to eliminate the grey bars at the side. Should I do this for the first hours of use, or permanently? Thanks!
Phillip Swann: Burn in -- the ghosting of images when you turned the TV off -- was a problem with early Plasma sets. But no more.
Arlington, Va.: Can the human eye tell the difference between 720p, 1080i or 1080p?
Phillip Swann: Good question. Probably not. But some people swear they can.
America: Why must HDTV require getting rid of our old sets or converting them? Why must we pay extra for something we already paid for? Why can't we watch on our old sets if you don't want to convert? Also, have we planned on land filling all the TV sets in America?
Phillip Swann: Another good question. Yes, why is the federal government mandating that we get new TVs (or a converter box) to watch these new signals.
Well, it's a long story, but basically the feds want the old analog space so they can auction it off for billions of dollars.
Cleveland, Ohio: Regarding TV choice, would your answer be the same for a movie fan?
Phillip Swann: Yes, movies look better in HD than they do in the theater. It's remarkable how much more detail you see.
Alexandria, Va.: Why don't manufacturers start selling smaller-sized HDTVs/digital TVs? After all, when the analog system is turned off in a couple of years, it's the small TVs on the kitchen counter or the garage, which AREN'T hooked up to a cable box, that will be useless.
Phillip Swann: That will come. The economics now dictate that TV makers concentrate on larger sets to generate more profits.
Columbia, S.C.: Hi and thanx for the chat..always enjoy the tech ones.
Now that plasma and LCD HD sets have been around a while, do you think it's wise to buy the 3 or 5 year warantees, or would you consider that a waste of money these days?
Phillip Swann: I'm not a fan of longterm warranties for TVs. But I will say that today's sets are more technicallly sophisticated so a repair would cost more money than before.
Arlington, Va.: When are we going to see HDTVs with two way cable cards that will make a set top box unnecessary even if you want on demand movies?
Phillip Swann: I don't think you'll see them soon. The set-top makers have significant power in the industry. They would like to keep making those set-tops for awhile (although they make the Cards as well.) The set-tops generate more profit.
Alexandria, Va.: I read recently that the new specs for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players will not play full resolution HD through HDTV sets with component inputs, but will only play full resolution HD through HDMI inputs. Does that mean that older HDTV sets without the HDMI inputs will not be able to display full resolution HD content from HD-DVD?
Phillip Swann: Thanks for asking that.
Yes, I have a few articles now at TVPredictions.com that explain that the new HDTV DVD players may not provide true HD pictures on earlier model HDTVs, which number about 12 million. Check out the articles.
Cleveland, Ohio: Like those in Great Britian, I am facinated by the adjustments the TV folks will have to make to their appearance. Can you give us more TV Predictions of what challenges they will face?
Phillip Swann: Some celebrities are afraid of appearing in high-def now. And, if they do, they are demanding no close-ups and even a filter that can reduce the sharpness of the picture. As time goes by, I'm afraid that you'll see more of that. The big stars will push for more protection on the HD screen.
Washington, D.C.: A grand for a 50" HDTV? And that's a good deal? I wouldn't spend that kind of money on a TV even if I could fit it in my apartment. Wake me up when I can replace my 27" with an equivalent HD version for under $300.
Phillip Swann: Your alarm clock is about to go off. You can get a 27-inch HD now for less than $500.
Takoma Park, Md.: The price of plasmas is sort of drifting downward, because, I think, the impact of the coming SED invasion has hit yet. The Panasonic everyone touts is at about $3700. When do you expect prices to take a big dip such that that set is priced $3000?
Phillip Swann: Look out this holiday season. Plasma prices will fall sharply, with some HD sets going under $1,500.
Gaithersburg, Md.: for the record: 1080P sets look a little more 3 dimensional. That being said, a great plasma beats a great projection every time regaurdless of resolution
Phillip Swann: I can't disagree, although I think projection provides a very good HD picture.
HDTV DVR: My current plain-old DVR causes some dithering on my screen when I watch recordings. I guess it's to keep file size down. Can I expect an HDTV DVR to be the same?
Phillip Swann: My HDTV DVR from Comcast works fine.
Vancouver, Wash.: What is the best HDTV out there and is resonabliy priced (meaning between $500-4000)? Where is the best place to buy HDTV's (such as Circuit City or Bestbuy)? What brand is the best to buy?
Phillip Swann: Consumer Reports has given high marks to the 42-inch Panasonic Plasma HD. But I don't personally recommend brands, etc.
Clifton, Va.: Problem with HDTV is there really isn't any reason to want it yet. There is not a great deal of HDTV programming that is of high quality and most of people dont think the difference is worth it. Maybe the Blue Ray and HD dvd will cahnge this but what really needs to happen is the price needs to drop another 50 to 75% on TVs. And there was a recent survey that showed approx 50% of HDTV users didn't know they were SDTV not HDTV.
Phillip Swann: That's a good point. Although nearly everyone is wowed by the HD picture, there still isn't enough HD programming available. (DIRECTV, for instance, has less than 10 national HD channels.) But that will change over the next year.
Tampa, Fla.: Will HDTV set back the sci-fi TV industry? I saw the original Star Wars on HDTV and the clarity of the picture made the sets look cheesey, especially the interiors of the fighters. Will HDTV do this to other sci fi shows, forcing producers to improve the sets and computer-generated graphics?
Also, I understand the NHL is banking on HDTV because viewers will finally be able to see the puck clearly. I think the NHL will benefit more than other sports. Any thoughts on this?
Phillip Swann: If the production is well done, the HDTV broadcast will make it even cooler. However, if the producers cut costs on set design, etc., it will be obvious in HD.
Same goes for the digital effects guys. In HD, the digital effects are more obvious.
Germantown, Md.: For Annapolis: A DTV broadcast channel has about 19.4Mbits/sec of data. But that can be multiplexed into several subchannels (e.g. PBS does 4 standard def during the day and 1 HD and 1 SD during the night). You probably won't be getting an HD stream from your ISP anytime soon.
Phillip Swann: Interestingly, Akimbo, the Broadband-enabled Video on Demand set-top, today announced that it will offer HDNet, a high-def network, over the phone lines.
Upper Marlboro, Md: I am looking forward to the HD-DVD format, I have heard that the HD-DVD players, that are slated to be released within the next year, will range from 400-799, how many years do we have to wait for the HD-DVD players to drop in around the 200 dollar price range.
Phillip Swann: You can bet that the Toshiba player will be close to the $200 mark within a year. Sony may take longer.
Fairfax, Va. - Will a projector work???: When comparing the option of a large scale plasma tv at around $5,000 I came upon some great looking HD Projectors. I could spend around $1500 on a high quality HD projector and $1000 on a top of the line wall mounted screen. Is this a good way to go? The picture in the showroom looked great and I do have a dark basement with no windows that I think would be perfect. Your thoughts?
Phillip Swann: You bet. The projector can provide great HD pictures.
Vancouver, Wash.: Why don't you recommend brands?
Phillip Swann: My recommendation would be based on what I like. Everyone is different and has different wants and needs. So, I simply try to provide the information so people can make their own decisions.
Nags Head, N.C.: In our beach house, the great room has a lot of windows and light. The TV niche is located above the fireplace, perpendicular to the wall of windows looking to the west. What would you suggest, Plasma, DLP, LED or something else? Note that the tv screen is above eye-level, so not really an ideal location - would this make a difference in what technology is best? Budget is ok up to around $3,000 or so.
Phillip Swann: Many people say DLP offers a better pix than Plasma in daylight.
Cleveland, Ohio: As a 45 year old female television host, I'm running scared! In addition to the makeup, will a change in attire, gestures and facial expressions be needed for a successful appearance? And are the makeup concerns, as John Harris of WRAL stated, truly the creation of evil consultants?
Phillip Swann: I'm afraid that John is whistling past the graveyard. There's no question that you can see every wrinkle, etc. in high-def.
Atlanta, Ga.: When I watch anchors in HD (in news and in shows like ESPN Sports Ctr.) the pancake makeup looks absurd - as ridiculous as seeing a man caked in makeup in person. Why don't TV producers realize this?
Phillip Swann: I agree. Steve Young's eyebrows often make him look like Groucho Marx in high-def on ESPN....The industry is learning slowly, but it will learn.
Phillip Swann: Has anyone here seen JC Hayward in high-def on the Channel 9 news in Washington, DC? You can tell that she's wearing cosmetic contact lenses. Very odd look. Her brown eyes are suddenly blue in high-def.
Washington, D.C.: At what point will HD programming become part of basic cable/satellite package?
I have a Dish network system, but the only way I could get an HD package is to pay an additional $20/month for more unwanted programs. I'd much prefer to simply buy HD program for the channels I want, like HBO and ESPN.
Phillip Swann: Not for some time. The cable and satellite guys have invested heavily in building systems to broadcast HD. They want to keep the HD package separate to generate more revenue to defray past costs.
Reston, VA: When will HDTV drop in cost to the prices for conventional analog TV?
Phillip Swann: Prices are falling fast. Again, you can get many HDTVs now for well under $1,000.
Mt. Lebanon, Pa.: Is there a website or link you'd like to offer to direct those of us in engineering to the numbers behind HDTV?
I'm interested in the technology - the competing standards, the problems, solutions, regulatory impacts, et al.
Phillip Swann: THe Consumer Electronics Association does a good job of compiling stats, etc.
washingtonpost.com: Thank you very much for joining us today to discuss HDTV. Do you have any closing thoughts on where the technology is headed?
Phillip Swann: I think you'll see more HD channels this year, lower prices and more channels available via cable and satellite. It's a great time to buy a high-def set.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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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Phillip Swann, president and CEO of TVPredictions.com was online to discuss how HDTV is changing the way television is broadcasted.
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Book World Live
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Read the Book World review: The War Among the Conservatives , ( Post, March 26, 2006 )
Charles Krauthammer 's op-ed: Fukuyama's Fantasy , ( Post, March 28, 2006 )
Join Book World Live each Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET for a discussion based on a story or review in each Sunday's Book World section.
Boston, Mass.: Krauthammer has hit back, essentially calling you a liar about his speech at the AEI. Have you read his Op-ed today and what is your response?
Francis Fukuyama: I never said his speech was about Iraq; it was about US foreign policy and it treated the US exercise of power in Iraq and elsewhere as a success, without mentioning issues like how the failure to find WMD had undermined our credibility, how the transition to democracy was being held up by an unexpected insurgency, and how globally the world had not chosen to legitimate our actions but to oppose them. Krauthammer also keeps insisting that I changed my mind only after the fact. I shifted on the war in the summer of 2002 in the course of a Pentagon study I had been asked to lead. You might want to check out pieces I wrote for the Washington Post on Sept. 11, 2002, and the Wall Street Journal on Dec. 24, 2002.
Munich, Germany: Seeing as how many in the Bush administration were signatories (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Libby) what role did the Project for a New American Century have in the decision to go to war in Iraq? Is the PNAC an important tract of neo-conservatism?
Also, although social engineering is not highly touted among Neo-Cons, now that the U.S. is in Iraq for the immediate future (and possibly beyond), do you think that there's a cure for the chronic corruption, cronyism and tribalism that's hampering effective governance of Iraq by Iraqis?
Francis Fukuyama: I think the PNAC's influence is vastly exaggerated. The principal advocates of the Iraq war were Cheney and Rumsfeld, and not a group of outside intellectuals.
Good governance is very difficult to promote (my last book State-Building was about this) and the US will face declining leverage over the new Iraqi government as it becomes clear we are looking to an exit.
American University: Mr. Fukuyama, I'm curious to know your response to Krauthammer's assertion that your book is proof of a lack of a plausible alternative to the policies he and the neocons advocate. What is the best way, in your opinion, "for attacking the root causes of Sept. 11?"
Francis Fukuyama: There are two separate problems, how to deal with Iraq's WMD programs, and how to deal with global jihadism. The former I think could have been contained through a concerted effort to revive the sanctions/inspections regime, as indeed happened with Security Council Resolution 1441. The latter I think is an essentially political problem of separating the hard core jihadists from the broader Muslim populations they operate in, discrediting the extremist ideas, and physically neutralizing terrorists.
Hoboken, N.J.: You have emphasized that the reasons for the Islamist jihad against the United States is a reaction to modernity and globalization, not the absence of democracy. Yet if one reads bin Laden's writings, he emphasizes the occupation of holy lands by infidels as the source of his grievances. Wouldn't the American public be better served if it knew that the reasons for the threat of terrorism were not modernity, globalization, or absence of democracy, but perceived foreign-policy grievances?
Francis Fukuyama: I think we ought to take seriously Arab complaints about US foreign policy (though not necessarily bin Laden's, since he's got a much larger ideological agenda). Over the past five years this probably would have involved greater attention to the Palestinian question, though I'm under no illusions that we could have done much to resolve that conflict.
Dallas, Tex.: I have heard that you are a follower of the Ayn Rand philosophy. Is this one of the basis for neo-conservatism? Is it well known that neo-conservatism is based on her philosophy? Do the far right Christians know that she was an atheist? These people who sneer at Secular Humanism?
Francis Fukuyama: Ayn Rand's ideas appeal to mostly male adolescents and is not a serious approach that can be dignified by the word "philosophy." They played no role in my thinking or those of other neoconservatives.
London, U.K.: I am admirer of your work. I think that intellectual or political progress comes only when you have the courage to spell out bold new ideas and policies and accept the risks and criticisms that inevitably come with it.
But I wonder if you had no doubts before about the underestimation of diplomacy and legitimacy and the overestimation of military power and coercion by neo-conservatives (Charles Krauthammer was perhaps the most obvious example, but not the only one)?
I also have my doubts regarding your policy recipe for the future: a community of democracies in alternative to the U.N. and other international organizations. After all NATO is an organization of democracies and Bush has had problems working within it too. Besides would you not agree that most emerging democracies, like India or Brazil or South Africa, want to have more power in the U.N. but do not support any move to undermine that organization, quite the opposite? And in more conceptual terms what is you response to the argument made by John Rawls in The Law of Peoples that you should be able to deal even with non-democratic States as long as they do not commit egregious violations of basic human rights and other international norms?
Francis Fukuyama: My doubts crystallized in the year leading up to the war, in the course of a Pentagon study on strategy toward the war on terrorism I was asked to participate in.
I don't regard an organization of democracies as a solution to any but a small range of problems. I think we need a multi-multilateral world, but even then power wielded by nation-states will be critical. So there is not one single approach to future problems of world order.
Washington, D.C.: Mr. Fukuyama, it's a pleasure.
I've been following your debate with the neocons recently, and the more I read your writings the more I don't understand how you ever considered yourself among them. You seem to me to reject some of the basic tenets of neoconservatism, such as ambitious social engineering projects abroad and forceful regime change in the name of American security. Even more, I feel that you're more in kind with Wilsonian liberals. You say that neoconservatism has changed into something you can no longer associate with. But could it be that it is you that has changed? Possibly due to the failures of Iraq?
Francis Fukuyama: As I try to point out in my book, caution about social engineering was a neoconservative principle which other neoconservatives seem to have forgotten. The one area that I've rethought concerns international institutions. I believe that the conservative critique of the legitimacy and effectiveness of the UN is right, but that we need a world populated by a multiplicity of others kinds of organizations. Iraq has changed my view on this.
How do you respond to Mr. Krauthammer's characterization of your description of his speech?
Francis Fukuyama: Krauthammer's speech was an extension of his earlier writings on the need for the US to benevolently manage a unipolar (what others would call hegemonic) world. A successful democratic transition in Iraq and the uncovering of WMD there were critical to the legitimacy of our performing this larger role, and there is no reference to the fact that the missing WMD or chaotic post-war situation had gravely undermined our credibility. That is why I thought it was completely disconnected from the reality that I was seeing at the time.
Lyme, Conn.: I find it interesting that people claim that "conservatives" are expected to support the war in Iraq. Going to war is neither a liberal nor conservative issue but one based on whether there is a proper need to go to war. As I recall, before we went to war, there were strong reservations expressed about going to war from Patrick Buchanan, Tucker Carlson, Robert Novak, and other conservatives. More recently, the war has been questioned by William F. Buckley, Jr. and even more conservatives. My question: why do "neocons" seem to think they get to define conservative thought, and why is their defense of the war (as Anne Coulter does) is to challenge the patriotism of those who oppose their way when many of the most patriotic Americans opposed the war from the very beginning?
Francis Fukuyama: Your answer is as good as mine. I know many long-time conservatives who opposed the war and there is no reason to question their patriotism whatsoever.
Va.: Hello. Bruce Bartlett was told to leave his job at NCPA when he wrote hi book, Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy. Do you still have a job at RAND/Hudson?
Francis Fukuyama: I'm a professor with tenure at Johns Hopkins, so I'm blessedly free from this kind of pressure. But I don't think that Rand would have made an issue of what I've written.
San Francisco, Calif.: Hello Professor Fukuyama,
Nearly 3000 people were murdered and billions of dollars in damage were incurred on 9/11.
In direct response to these horrific attacks, George W. Bush and his supporters -inadvertently- fathered in Iraq a burgeoning extremist Islamic republic with extremely close ties to Iran, a so-called axis of evil.
Francis Fukuyama: Having gotten into the war, we need to stabilize the new government and encourage it in a liberal direction. That is an argument for not withdrawing our troops too early, since they will be our primary source of influence over the Iraqi government.
Larchmont, N.Y.: I've read "America at the Crossroads," in which you essentially say that the war in Iraq has been a disaster in implementation. Due to missteps and a peculiar combination of neo-conservative doctrines, the U.S. is now bogged down in a long-term guerilla war.
It would seem that the war in Iraq is mainly a disaster in fundamental concept, that it is possible to export democracy to other countries whose political culture has no experience with it. As a political science professor, could you comment on research such as Almond and Verba's "The Civic Culture," and Putnam's "Making Democracy Work." It seems that the architects of the Iraq war totally ignored the basic findings that Democracy requires democrats.
I have an M.A. in political science.
Francis Fukuyama: I actually don't argue that the problem was only one of implementation, though poor implementation was certainly a problem. The problem was rather the concept itself. There are no cultural absolutes, but certainly there should have been warning signs about the project's difficult.
New York, N.Y.: Professor Fukuyama,
Thank you for writing what is sure to be a very important book at a critical moment in our nation's history. In your new journal The American Interest, you engage in a lively discussion with the French pop-intellectual Bernard Henri-Levy over his perceptions on America. I'd be curious to know your thoughts on the current state of the Fifth Republic, particularly the expiring social contract and youth unemployment, immigration and foreign policy.
Francis Fukuyama: Much of France seems totally out of touch with reality--they believe that forbidding employers to fire workers will increase the amount of work available. Without reform of their whole system of social protection, they will not be able to enjoy the kind of standard of living they have today.
Buenos Aires, Argentina: If, as you wrote, jihadism is "a by-product of modernization and globalization", how do we combat jihadists? How will Western culture stop such ideology?
Francis Fukuyama: It's not Western culture that will stop jihadism, but a battle of ideas that will separate extremist ideologies from other interpretations of Islam that are compatible with the modern world. We can contribute to that, but much of the contest will be among Muslims.
Oslo, Norway: In your excellent book you offer realistic Wilsonianism as an alternative to both neoconservatism and realism. But how will this new approach differ from liberal internationalism as both seems to have multilateral institutions as their core element?
Francis Fukuyama: I also suggest we need a bit of Bismarck as well--the knowledge of how to use power, but disguised and indirect so that we do not stimulate unnecessary opposition to its exercise.
Manchester, U.K.: In a recent Slate article, in response to America at the Crossroads, Christopher Hitchens stated that you essay "betrays a secret academic wish to be living in "normal" times once more, times that will "restore the authority of foreign policy 'realists' in the tradition of Henry Kissinger." Fat chance! Kissinger is moribund, and the memory of his failed dictator's club is too fresh to be dignified with the term "tradition."
How do you respond to Hitchens' rather stinging statement?
Francis Fukuyama: I've never said we're living in normal times; radical Islamism is a huge challenge. But you need to meet that challenge intelligently, and strike the real targets rather than subsidiary ones in ways that make your situation worse. Hitchens seems to regard democracy-promotion largely as a test of national manhood.
Baltimore, Md.: Thank you for joining us, Professor Fukuyama. My question is about your approach to history. Hasn't Hegelian thinking brought enough absurd ideologies into this world to be cast into the dustbin?
Francis Fukuyama: To the contrary, Hegelian thinking is so deeply embedded in the way that we look at the world that we don't even notice it. When someone says "you need to get on the right side of history" with regard to an issue like women's rights or environment, that's essentially a Hegelian perspective.
I'm surprised more conservatives haven't openly opposed the war all along. I'm moderate to conservative on most issues, and strongly supported our role in the first Gulf War. But when talk began after 9/11 of invading Iraq, I didn't believe it, assuming it must be a bluff to get Saddam to disarm.
Remember not so long ago when it was Republicans criticizing Democrats for being stupid enough to get us bogged down in "land wars in Asia"? And even more recently for believing in "nation building" adventures?
Francis Fukuyama: George Bush himself in 2000 campaigned against nation-building. But times change. I'm not opposed to nation-building, but think that we need to be very careful when and when we take on expensive commitments like that.
I assume that you did look, sincerely and objectively, into Islamic History from all point of views (specifically the Islamic point of view).
What is your reading of the polls that say Islam is the fastest growing religion in the word despite all the negative presentation in the Western Media?
Francis Fukuyama: I'm not sure that Islam is the fastest growing in terms of new converts; it is more a matter of culturally Muslim people taking up a conservative form of the religion. Evangelical Christianity is also extremely fast-growing and probably rivals Islam in that respect.
I'm an Italian reader. What do you think about the spreading of democracy in the Middle East now? Is the recognition suitable among the Islamic people? Thanks very much.
Francis Fukuyama: I think that democracy can spread in the Middle East, but it will be a drawn-out process because there are many Islamist groups that are profoundly illiberal and who make transition to liberal democracy more difficult. But I don't believe in permanent cultural barriers to political practices--the Christian West itself evolved substantially since the end of the Middle Ages.
Arlington, Va.: Mr. Fukuyama I'm curious as to what you think the prospects are of "illiberal" democracies of an Islamist bent coming to power in various areas of the Muslim world and do you think in the long term this would not be a terrible thing as it would finally show the masses who tend to support them the bankruptcy of such regimes, a la Iran?
Francis Fukuyama: The problem is that illiberal Islamist regimes can do a lot of damage before they're discredited, as in Iran. I don't however think that violent suppression through corrupt authoritarian regimes is much of an answer, either. What you want is for these groups to come to accept the democratic process through the actual exercise of power, as in the case of the AK party in Turkey. But the transition could be very unpleasant.
Glen Ridge, N.J.: Do you think the U.S. government should create a new department that specifically handles non-military foreign assistance e.g. humanitarian assistance, police training, rebuilding infrastructure, building political institutions? It seems like the Department of Defense is the only organization with the ability to deploy large numbers of people and equipment overseas, yet such missions are outside of its core competency of war fighting.
Francis Fukuyama: The administration has already created such an office in the State Department, S/CRS, for reconstruction and stability operations. The problem is that it hasn't been well funded, and the lines of authority within the USG are still up for grabs. This is an evolving story and I hope that the White House doesn't lose interest in fixing the bureaucratic problem.
Everyone always gravitates towards the "End of History" part of your famous essay, but I was wondering if you would comment on the "Last Man" part. It seems to me that people who deride your claim about an "End of History" never bothered to actually read what you meant by the end of history. Mr. Krauthammer's article about your new book reads a little "last manish" to me. Do you feel that the neocons that you have separated yourself from represent more of the worst parts of modernity that you are consistently critical of than you had originally suspected?
Francis Fukuyama: Charles Krauthammer is way to feisty to be a last man. I still have respect for many neocons: they take ideals and principles seriously, even if I think that they have misapplied many of them in practice.
Portland, Ore.: Tony Blair recently raised the prospect of the United States retreating from world affairs, "pulling up its drawbridge and living behind its moat" or words to that effect.
Frankly I think we've stuck our chin out too much, but sense the empire mentality will never fade in Washington, D.C.
Do you think there's any real chance the U.S. will retreat into a more circumspect role?
Francis Fukuyama: I think it is entirely possible that there will be a backlash against the kind of foreign policy activism we have recently seen, a the growth of perhaps not isolationism but of a more inward-looking nationalism. This is a danger for the Republican right, but also for protectionist Democrats who did not acquit themselves well on the Dubai Ports World deal.
Lincoln, Neb.: Mr. Fukuyama, thank you for your excellent book. My question is, do you feel that we would be in a better position vis-a-vis Iraq if John Kerry had been elected president?
Francis Fukuyama: I ended up voting for Kerry but in a way I'm glad that Bush won because he now has to fix the problem that he created. I didn't really have much confidence that Kerry would be able to do much better, but he certainly would have been blamed for the inevitable deterioration in Iraq.
You argue that the Islamist threat is a result of globalization and modernity. However, your colleague Mary Habeck has argued that the enemy draws upon a long history of Islamist thought going back centuries? Does her argument at all clash with yours? If so, how do you reconcile the two arguments? If not, how are they complimentary?
Francis Fukuyama: I don't think it's hard to reconcile these arguments. The ideas come from a continuous reinterpretation of religious doctrine, and so that is one cause. But you then have to ask why it is that these ideas appeal to people, to the point that they're willing to fly airplanes into buildings. And for that, I think you have to look to more sociological explanations concerning the need for identity and alienation from European societies that don't provide an adequate sense of belonging.
Richmond, Va.: Will certain foreign policy principles of the post-9/11 world made explicit by the "Bush Doctrine" carry over into the next presidential administration--irrespective of political party? If so, what will remain, what will be changed, and what will be added?
Francis Fukuyama: I think that the Bush administration has itself been walking away from its first term legacy, acting multilaterally on North Korea and Iran and seeking to repair relations with key allies. I may be wrong, but I think the threshold for military action now will be much harder because so much of the world and the American public is mobilized against it.
Princeton, N.J.: Given your skepticism about the possibilities for global social engineering through force, I'm interested in how this influences your thinking on humanitarian intervention. What's your take on how to deal with genocide in places like Darfur?
Francis Fukuyama: I think that the international community should intervene through the Security Council. But it is revealing of the UN's weaknesses that action there has been effectively blocked, both by Arab countries and by the Chinese.
Former Fukuyama Student, Alexandria, Va.: Dr. Fukuyama- former student-one class, but big influence.
What do you see as the relationship between your book "Trust" and your new book? How do you envision us thinking about both books?
Francis Fukuyama: Thanks for logging on. There's actually not too much connection--international relations differs from domestic politics because the level of trust and shared norms is so much lower between societies. We have been trying to get to a world in which norms and law can regulate interstate relations, but we are very far from that right now.
Rockville, Md.: " inevitable deterioration .."
I don't know of many events short of death and taxes that are inevitable. Perhaps a properly constructed aid program would have saved the day. I saw better work when we were in Vietnam. Why did we do so badly in Iraq?
Francis Fukuyama: the reason has to do with the excessively rosy predictions the administration made concerning the post-war situation. As I explain in my book, this may have been the result of the way the Cold War ended, with unanticipated bloodless victory rather than a protracted struggle. Also management of the postwar reconstruction by the Pentagon was a huge mistake, because it didn't have the administrative capacity to do this.
Arlington, Va.: Mr. Fukuyama, following up on one of your earlier questions you said you thought Saddam could have been contained by a renewed sanctions/inspections regime but give what we now know of French and Russian chicanery in this regard do you really think this would have been a viable option? I think rather the likeliest outcome had Hans Blix been allowed to continue would have been a further much greater erosion of the sanctions regime resulting in eventual collapse and an Iraq then unburdened and free to resume its weapons programs.
Francis Fukuyama: People assume that the sanctions regime would inevitably have eroded. But as people say, "everything changed after September 11," including our ability to make new arguments for renewal of sanctions. And we did manage to get inspectors back in. From the Iraq Survey Group, we now know that the UN inspectors had a reasonably good fix on what what happening--the mistakes they made were actually on the upside of estimates.
Arlington, Va.: Professor Fukuyama, I graduated from SAIS a couple of years ago and was fortunate enough to hear you speak a few times--although unfortunately never took one of your classes. My understanding is that you're now the head of the development program at SAIS. Do you find development to be the area most in need of resources and facilitation? What should policymakers be looking at? I believe a few of your colleagues (e.g., Cohen) have evolved to this line of thinking in recent years. Thanks!
Francis Fukuyama: You're tossing me a softball question. My new book has a chapter on development, and how development has gotten neglected by US foreign policy. The focus needs to be on institutions and institutional reform. Greater resources will also help, but without a clear plan for using them effectively they can well end up doing more damage than good. Bill Easterly is very good on this question.
Republican Party: Thank you for taking our questions. I am confused about the direction that the republican party is taking on foreign policy now. I am a strong believer in a two party system that is healthy and vital to our democracy. What is the future of the republican party if neocon ideology is the party platform and, more importantly, if future republican presidents embrace that ideology, what is the future of our country?
Francis Fukuyama: I don't think that neoconservatism ever had deep roots in the Republican Party--it's more for intellectuals and policy wonks. I thus anticipate there will be a big fight within the party over foreign policy, whether it goes in a realist or idealist or nationalist direction.
I'm curious to get your thoughts regarding the military withdrawal in Iraq. Recently, an article in Foreign Affairs claims that training the Iraqi security forces and giving them a bigger role in the fight only encourages sectarian views and will lead to more distrust of the central government by Sunnis. Do you agree? Are we recycling a failed strategy from Vietnam?
Francis Fukuyama: We don't have much choice but to train Iraqi military and police forces. The problem is that the police especially have been infiltrated by the different militias, which continue to exist outside the orbit of the central state. There is really no viable plan I see to disarm the militias, and our leverage will decrease as it becomes evident we are on the way out.
Washington, D.C.: Looking at the situation beginning with the Arab Oil Embargo, the Iranian hostage crisis, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the civil war in Lebanon, the Reagan Arms-for-hostages scandal, the Persian Gulf war, the conflicts in Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, and now 9/11, toppling the Taliban and the invasion of Kuwait, I am convinced the U.S. will be militarily active in the Middle East for many decades ahead. We are radicalizing influence there, and we aren't leaving. So shouldn't we be moving forward, with an invasion of Iran? Isn't it time we destroyed that terrorist society too and replaced it with a peace-loving Muslim democracy? Why delay the inevitable?
Francis Fukuyama: I don't think that our experience in Iraq suggests we will be very good at managing coercive regime change in Iran, a country that is 3 times as large and which has a much more functional government and infrastructure than Iraq did.
In your book "Our Post-Human Future" you discuss the potential threat of biotechnology as practiced by a peaceful society and capitalism. What do you think of future use of biotechnology as biological weapons by terrorists or rouge nation states? Will this rival nuclear weapons as an existential threat?
Francis Fukuyama: Biological weapons can be very dangerous as a terrorist weapon and we should spend a lot of effort to prevent their use, come up with responses, and work on antidotes. They don't really rival nuclear weapons though for sheer destructive effect.
Washington, D.C.: Dr. Fukuyama, what role did the media play in misleading the American people in the run up to the war?
Francis Fukuyama: The media can always be manipulated by administrations, but the real question is whether that manipulation can be maintained over the long run in the fact of contradictory evidence. So far I don't see that the process isn't working.
Va.: Any comments on the neo-liberalism?
Francis Fukuyama: I'm not sure what neo-liberalism is...
Portland, Maine: Mr. Fukuyama, thank you for your contribution to intelligent discourse. Do you feel that the neocons will ever see the light as far as this disaster of a war is concerned?
Francis Fukuyama: I think that many neoconservatives in fact have second thoughts, but it is difficult for them to say so publicly.
Arlington, Va.: Many Muslims believe that the problem worldwide with Jihadism is fundamentally a question of internal education first and then external education.
Do you think this is possible with no central hierarchical religious organizational model? Is there a role for external pressure/subsidization to help enable this education?
Francis Fukuyama: I think that jihadism has been fed by the failure of states like Egypt and Pakistan to provide decent public education and social services for their people. The Islamists have stepped into this vacuum, providing madrasas, social services, and the like. So reclaiming this territory from them is part of a long-term solution.
First, let me state I think this new book will prove to be very interesting. I am using some of your research in my book on presidential rhetoric.
My question for you is that some of Bush's critics, such as G. John Ikenberry and others, have argued that Bush has gone away from renewing and using the institutions of the liberal international order to help him make his foreign policy more successful. It seems that you even make the argument in this new book. I was wondering if you could talk about the specific international institutions, if any, the Bush administration should use to "demilitarize" its foreign policy? What kinds of programs should the administration be promoting to take the militant edge of their foreign policy?
Francis Fukuyama: I have several approaches to this in the book. One is a new contract with NATO, that would streamline NATO's decision-making machinery to make it more efficient, while agreeing to seek NATO support for a certain class of interventions. Another idea is a 5 power organization for Northeast Asia; or use of the Community of Democracies to provide democracy assistance.
Norman, Okla.: Please explain what you mean by "America at the Crossroads" (the title of your book)
Francis Fukuyama: I think that we have important choices open to us now in foreign policy. We can stick with the Bush Doctrine, retreat to a Kissinger-style realism, or even further, to some new form of isolationism, or choose to recreate a centrist policy that would preserve neoconservatism's idealism but marry it to more realistic methods than coercive regime change.
Palo Alto, Calif.: Dr. Fukuyama, thank you for your outstanding book. What do you think will constitute the "tipping point" in the Iraq war -- the point at which we have no choice but to withdraw?
Francis Fukuyama: It's hard to define that exactly--it'll be more one of those cases where you know it when you see it. Imminent state collapse and a large increase in intercommunal violence might be the final trigger for withdrawal.
Washington, D.C.: Professor Fukuyama, In your opinion, what is the appropriate neoconservative strategy for the U.S. to pursue vis-a-vis Iran? Also, what do you think about the controversy that has been stirred up by Mearsheimer and Walt's article on the "Israel Lobby" in the London Review of Books? Do you think that their conclusions should have any bearing on the debate about U.S. policy regarding the Middle East? Thank you very much.
Francis Fukuyama: Several people have asked about the Mearsheimer-Walt piece. There is obviously an Israeli lobby in the US, but I think they overstate its impact, particularly on the policy toward the Iraq war. Cheney and Rumsfeld had plenty of reasons for wanting to intervene apart from a lobby's influence.
washingtonpost.com: This concludes our discussion with Francis Fukuyama. Thank you for joining in.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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 Luxe Starts Here
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The white Christian Dior gaucho bag favored by Demi Moore and Cameron Diaz was sold out. But the denim-and-calf-leather version was still sitting under a spotlight at the label's new boutique in Chevy Chase, beckoning to fashionistas with $1,725 to spend.
Charge card still not maxed out? Head next door to Barneys New York Co-Op, Gucci or Louis Vuitton -- all part of the Collection at Chevy Chase, the latest outpost of luxury retail in the traditionally stodgy and sensible Washington area.
The region's booming wealth has transformed the shopping landscape. Fairfax Square raised the bar when it brought in big names like Hermes in the 1990s, and nearby Tysons Galleria has added upscale stores like Salvatore Ferragamo over the past three years. The $70 million stretch of M Street known as Cady's Alley in Georgetown is the destination for high-end home furnishings, and upscale clothing stores have burst forth like so many cherry blossoms in the neighborhood.
With the grand opening of the Collection at Chevy Chase in May, the trifecta will be complete. The Dior boutique is the first in Washington. The MaxMara apparel and accessories store is one of the largest in the world. And the Jimmy Choo shoe boutique allows Washington women to live out their "Sex and the City" dreams.
"I think we're really changing," said Aba Kwawu, who runs the Aba Agency, a District-based fashion consulting and marketing firm. "It feels as if we went to bed one day and we woke up cool."
Still, such excess can seem out of place in a city where the mayor wears bowties and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's knee-high boots set off a fashion controversy. Even the most ardent shopaholics concede that Washington is still several steps behind New York or Los Angeles.
"Personally, I don't know how well those places are going to do," said Lindsay Buscher, founder of the local Urban Chic boutique. "It would be nice to see things like that can survive outside of a big city. . . . Gucci and Versace, they're tough names for people who live outside of Manhattan."
Chevy Chase Land Co. President and Chief Operating Officer Edward H. Asher once had very different plans for the 112,000 square feet of land north of Wisconsin and Western avenues, just outside the D.C. line.
The development and property management firm had owned the land for more than a century, but the buildings on it had long been vacant. Asher had thought about creating a "lifestyle" hub with retailers such as Bed, Bath & Beyond and REI. But then Iraklis Karabassis entered the picture.
He wanted to buy the land in 2001 to build a new MaxMara store and eventually lure other high-end European retailers. Karabassis and his wife, Yasmine, already were operating a MaxMara in Tysons Galleria and had several United Colors of Bennetton and Sisley apparel stores. Though the Chevy Chase Land Co. rejected his purchase request, it was sold on his retail ideas.
"We can keep it super luxe," Karabassis said. "I think the Washington area and Chevy Chase needs that."
Buoyed by neighbors Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, along with shops such as Saks Jandel, Karabassis and the developers made their pitch to fashion's top names: Barneys New York Co-Op, Bulgari, Dior, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, MaxMara and Ralph Lauren. Cartier and Tiffany & Co. simply moved their stores into the Collection from across the street, creating Washington's compact equivalent of Rodeo Drive.
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The white Christian Dior gaucho bag favored by Demi Moore and Cameron Diaz was sold out. But the denim-and-calf-leather version was still sitting under a spotlight at the label's new boutique in Chevy Chase, beckoning to fashionistas with $1,725 to spend. Chevy Chase Land Co. President and...
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Georgetown and Tysons Galleria are no longer the only place for Washingtonians in search of high-fashion as the Collection at Chevy Chase becomes the latest incarnation of New York City's Fifth Avenue -- home to such couture shops as Dior, Jimmy Choo and Louis Vuitton.
Washington Post Staff Writer Ylan Q. Mui was online to discuss luxury retail in the Washington area on Monday, March 27 at 2 p.m. ET .
Ylan Mui: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for joining me this afternoon, and I hope that you all enjoy the chat. Fire away!
D.C.: Is this really a story here since Chevy Chase is an affluent neighborhood? Wouldn't you thus expect high end retailers to locate there? I would think this would be more of a story if Jimmy Choo opened up in PG County.
Ylan Mui: There's no doubt that Chevy Chase is one of the region's richest neighborhoods -- that's no surprise. The question is more like, "What took so long?" You would think that it having such a high income level, that the area would've had lux retailers a long time ago. But it hasn't. So the fact that it's opening now is pretty significant.
As for PG, I'm getting a lot of questions about retail in that county, which I'll answer in a bit!
Hyattsville, Md.: I really enjoyed the Post's article on this subject. What really struck me was the map accompanying the piece. I looked at the distribution of high-income households in Prince George's County and both my husband and I (I'm from St. Louis he's from Denver) thought "Gosh, if Prince George's were in those cities, they'd have high-end retailers beating down the door." Maybe not Prada and Coach and such, but certainly more than we've got now. I would just love for a Post reporter to ask quality retailers "why not Prince George's?"
washingtonpost.com: Map: Where the Money Is
Ylan Mui: Yes, we often hear residents of PG County complain about the lack of quality retail there. That could be the subject of an entire series! In fact, we wrote a front-page story a year ago about PG's somewhat futile attempts to woo retailers and developers at an annual conference in Vegas.
The thing is the money is one of the most important factors when developers consider what type of retail to bring into an area, but it's not the only factory. There's density as well -- places like Middleburg are rich, but are just too small. And there's also a host of logisitical issues that can make or break a development deal. For example, one of the key factors that helped make The Collection at Chevy Chase possible was that each retailer got its own storefront facing the street. Seems insignificant, but not everyone could make that happen. (Think about it: It means you need a nice street, parking would have to be configured differently, lighting, sidewalks, etc.)
D.C.: Jimmy Choo? Luxury retail? What's so luxurious about expensive shoes that give you bunyons and ankle problems?
Ylan Mui: *lol* No one ever said fashion was painless!
Bethesda, Md.: Do you think they gave a thought to the actual people who live in the Friendship Heights area -- or to the fact that this land is one block from a Metro stop and should have been used for high density housing?
Ylan Mui: Well, whether or not the land should be used for high-density housing is something people can debate!
But what I can tell you is that the developers gave a lot of thought to the fact that plenty of peole *work* in Friendship Heights. In fact, the development includes a 260,000 square foot, eight story building next door to The Collection that will be used for office space. Clyde's is a big draw for the lunch-time crowd as well.
Clifton, Va.: One area you neglected to mention is upscale butcher shops with prime, organic dry aged beef, veal and pork. Folks pay $20 a pound for organic loin lamb chops and $25 for rib eye steaks. I paid $5.99 a lb for organic ground beef for burgers. And then there is organic non homegnized milk from the Chrome Dairy for $10 a gallon. You can taste the difference. All the beef is from local suppliers and Chrome Dairy is in PA.
Ylan Mui: Um, this is making me hungry! But then, everything makes me hungry. :)
Georgetown rumors: Any truth to the rumors that Emporio Armani and Neiman Marcus may be coming to Georgetown?
Ylan Mui: I haven't heard that, but that's a good tip if true! Chatters?
washingtonpost.com: Prince George's Makes Sales Pitch For High-End Retail , June 1, 2005
Washington, DC: Are there any plans for a high-end shopping district in downtown DC?
Ylan Mui: Well, it took MAJOR work for the city to develop the Gallery Place/Chinatown/MCI Center area into what it is today. Many retailers were afraid to come into the city, and luxury retailers aren't known for taking risks in that regard. Right now, it remains a Banan Republic/Urban Outfitters kind of place.
But there are a few high-end shops downtown. Thomas Pink has a store very south of Dupont, there's Rizik's, the Grooming Lounge, just to name a few. I was at a meeting of DC developers not too long ago, and they're trying to lay out a broad strategy for development within the city. They didn't mention super high-end retail then, but I wouldn't rule it out.
Washington, D.C.: Hi. Thanks for taking my question.
I love shopping and make a decent professional income working in DC. Nonetheless, I was pushed out of the city - far out - 2 years ago because home prices have become ridiculous here. I was disappointed that the high-end shopping article did not explore the idea that the recent proliferation of luxury boutiques in the DC area is evidence of the widening gap between the haves and the "don't really haves" here. The boom has not reached everyone here, and I'm not just talking about lower-income people. Many of us, whose incomes would have been considered very comfortable even 5 years ago, feel quite left behind.
Ylan Mui: This is a good point. The region's wealth has been rising, but it seems like costs of everything from houses to organic beef (see previous posting) have been rising right along with it! But clearly these retailers feel that there is at least enough money for them to be successful. Remember -- several of the names in The Collection have already made inroads in the Washington area (like Tiffany's and Cartier, which just moved across the street).
Washington, D.C.: Do you think the market can sustain these 2 luxury retail areas, and if so, can there be additional areas that may support luxury retail?
Ylan Mui: I think you'll see increasingly upscale retail push farther and farther out into the suburbs as the region's population pushes farther out into the suburbs, in Loudoun County and Howard County especially.
Now, as to whether The Collection itself will be a success, I don't want to make any predictions. But I think it is safe to say that it's still early in the game -- all the stores haven't even opened yet!
Mt. Rainier, Md.: Poor Michelle Singletary! She probably stroked out reading about people with such trifling ways of spending huge money. Not only trifling, but boring. How many fancy $1000 bags can one woman carry? What more will the expensive bag do that my cheap one won't? These sad people have such a lack of imagination in their lives to fall for this kind of marketing. What a joyless existence to flit around looking for one more pair of really expensive shoes. Just reading about it gave me ennui and depression. Where's the thrill of seeing your money DO something?
Ylan Mui: Just thought I'd post this comment for you all to read.
Fairfax, Va.: This makes me feel sick! With so many people in our world having so little, to glorify wretched excess consumption seems a pretty disgusting thing to do. To build our nation's economy on consumption of things we do not need, at the expense of our earth's natural economy, is godawful, but that's what we're doing. How about if some of the people who have so much to spend find ways to spend it on service to others?
Ylan Mui: Another similar thought. I think this is part of the reason that these types of retailers have taken so long to come to Washington in particular. The collective consciousness of the city is not focused on fashion, for better or for worse.
Washington, D.C.: I moved to DC from NYC about 4 years ago where I worked in advertising, now I am at a University. I would really love to work in the fashion industry. What does D.C. have to offer in terms of job opportunities? i.e. I just learned of the Aba Agency from your article. Sounds like an awesome job.
Ylan Mui: Anyone have any help for this aspiring fashion insider?
Washington, D.C.: I heard this weekend that Lacoste was soon coming to Chevy Chase. Can you tell me if you know of any new shops coming to that neighborhood?
Ylan Mui: Lacoste is indeed opening up in Chevy Chase! Saw the construction myself last week.
Silver Spring, MD: Looking at the map, I can see another concentration of high income people in the Silver Spring area. Now that people realize that there is that income base in that area as well, do you think that more middle and high-end retailers will be knocking each other over to get street-level retail in the downtown area (such as what's happening with DSW and American Apparel moving in)?
Ylan Mui: Silver Spring certainly has seen a great deal of revitalization. Also, if you look at the income map, remember that it's from the 2000 Census, so it's pretty dated. (But it's among the most reliable data that we had, so that's what we used.)
Check out this story about retail in Silver Spring and the fate of City Place written by Christian Davenport a few weeks ago:
Clifton, Va.: Malls in NOVA that are accessible by Metro have loss rates that are 30-50% higher than Tyson and Fair Oaks which aren't Metro accessible. 60% of those arrested for shoplifting are from PG County. Now why would you locate in PG County if you were an upscale mercahnt and your customers from PG will commute to NOVA or CC?
Ylan Mui: Interesting data. If you have more thoughts on this or similar data, I'd love to talk to you more! E-mail me at muiy@washpost.com.
Washington, D.C.: Do you really think people in D.C. are like those in NYC, Beverley Hills, Vegas in terms of consumption behavior? I don't think the main issue should be absolute wealth/income bracket...I think the pressures of maintaining a certain image is more prevalent in cities other than D.C. Other than some people in the political crowd and trappings of great wealth, somehow I just don't see the average gov't worker or young professional in D.C. running out to buy $2000 handbags and $600 shoes.
Bottom line: Just because you have money doesn't mean you want to buy all those things.
Ylan Mui: Very good point. There are plenty who would argue that D.C. is changing, that we are becoming more NYC-like in our habits and tastes. Witness the clubs along 7th Street that take 107387123487 hours to get into, the revival of 14th Street, the sudden proliferation of magazines focused on DC style.
But deep that runs, well, we'll have to find out! Again, one has to imagine that a retailer would not open a second store in the area unless the first were doing well. Dior and Jimmy Choo (and perhaps Bulgari?) are the new stores in The Collection. But there are other locations of Barneys Co-op, Tiffany's, Louis, Gucci, etc.
Washington, D.C.: I agree with Mt. Ranier and Fairfax - the article was horribly depressing! How I wish DC would learn that a few more upscale shops are not going to help the city's problems. In fact - in the long run - it's likely to hurt. I'd love to see more progressive retail - co-ops for example - instead of more of this excessive waste.
Ylan Mui: Another post for thought:
Dupont Circle, D.C.: I earn a decent living and was considering working with a personal shopper at Saks or some other higher end store to help me further develop my personal/professional wardrobe. How much do you typically need to spend to work with a personal shopper?
Ylan Mui: Good question, and one that unfortunatley I don't know the answer to. (Clearly, I don't have a personal shopper at Saks!) However, I have heard that Nordstrom is secretly amazing with this, and I don't believe there's a spending requirement.
Chevy Chase Village, Md.: Is it true that the small shopping center on Connecticut Ave. and Manor Rd. in Chevy Chase will also be transform into a super luxed shopping center like the Collection at Chevy Chase?
Ylan Mui: Here's an answer from our commercial real estate reporter, Dana Hedgpeth:
I don't know about "super luxury" but they are going to become something. This is the shpping center where there's the T.W. perry hardware store, a hair salon and a family grocer.
Arlington, Va.: Hello and thanks for taking our questions.
My question is about the fate of so-called "Mom and Pop" jewelry shops. I used to get really nice custom jewelry (not super-expensive, but just made to order, i.e., pick the stones pick the setting, etc., in the shop) at a store in Georgetown. The place is now gone and I can't locate the jeweler anywhere - Mr. Kaufman.
Are these independent jewelers disappearing in general due to the influx of high-end franchises?
It's time for me to purchase some important jewelry and I'm searching for this kind of service. Does it still exist at "reasonable" prices? and if so, how might a prospective customer go about locating (getting a recommendation) a jeweler that will help the customer design a non-traditional, but classy engagement ring?
Ylan Mui: Wow, a pretty detailed question! But as a recently engaged woman myself, I feel bound to try to answer it and help you out!
To be honest, the only small jeweler I know of is Tiny Jewel Box in Dupont Circle. You might want to give them a try. Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!
D.C.: Is there a fear that these high-end shoppers are part of the transient D.C. population? Or if they are, is there a belief that they will continue to turn-over?
Ylan Mui: I don't think they fear the transient high-end shoppers! I think they're trying to woo them! In fact, when I spoke to one of the execs at Dior, she mentioned that their analysis showed they had clients who kept a house in D.C. -- among several others across the world. The international crowd, the embassy crowds, they're even hoping to become a sort of shopping destination for tourists.
Southwest D.C.: Since the Collection at Chevy Chase is just beyond the District line, I wondered if the luxury retailers you talked with expressed a preference for locating in the District or in Maryland when they decided to go on Wisconsin Avenue?
Ylan Mui: Got another question along these lines as well. I think part of the reason that it went in Maryland and not D.C. is that there was an empty, available building that the developers had been looking to lease for a long time. Part of it was simply practical.
But let's be real, it's not always easy to do business with the city, and that can be a big factor in determining where developments go and if they happen at all. I think the District is working to change that and is focused on retail and revitalization, but it will take time.
Washington, D.C.: Do you know if the Chevy Chase Dior store stocks items for men such as leather goods and clothing?
Ylan Mui: No, it is a women's boutique only. Sorry!
Tiny Jewel Box: I second that rec. My husband got my engagement ring there and it is stunning and they custom made it. They also have a huge collection of estate stuff. But note, it is NOT in Dupont Circle.
Ylan Mui: Just FYI for the soon-to-be-engaged guy. Ok, so technically it's not inside the circle itself, but you can take the Dupont Circle stop and exit on the south side and just walk down a few blocks!
Bethesda, Md: My wife was recently interviewed at one of the stores you mentioned in the Collection, and is waiting to hear back from corporate in NYC to see if she is selected. She has a lot of retail experience in the malls here, and is frankly thrilled about the prospect of working the high-end. Infact, she's one of the ones you mentioned who goes to New York to shop! My question is: Do you think people will change their habits, and stay here to shop?
There's still something overwhelmingly exciting about shopping in NYC. I'm sorry to say that, as I grew up here in Chevy Chase and used to go shopping as a child at "Tweeds n' Things" with my mother on the very same spot these stores now inhabit, but Friendship Heights is never going to be a magnet for the super wealthy.
Ylan Mui: New York is *the* hub for retail, there's no doubt about that. (Well, one could argue that it's really Bentonville, but that's another chat!) But there's a reason that the annual meeting of the National Retail Federation is in NYC. But Washington area consumers definitely have more choices now when it comes to high-end shopping than they did 10 years ago.
Friendship Heights: Why didn't Chevy Chase rate a full-sized Hermes boutique? The selection at Neiman Marcus is limited, and Tyson's is too far away. WE WANT HERMES!
Ylan Mui: Ok, there you have it!
About the DC Style Mags: I am all for more wickedly expensive and luxurious stores (got to have someplace to window shop) but I kinda emphasize with the progressives that were complaining earlier (not to the point of co-ops though). I've lived in D.C. for nearly 20 years and it's a helluva town. It's also Hollywood for ugly people (definitely not my words). It's erudite and passionate and.... it's amazing. Does the influx of upscale shopping means we have to turn into New York or LA? What about Portland and Seattle and San Francisco and even Philadelphia -- cities with well-heeled locales that aren't some soulless money-eating machine? Is it possible that as D.C. grows we don't become a mini-New York?
Ylan Mui: I do love San Francisco ...
Washington, D.C.: I wonder how The Collection will fare. There's a reason they've waited this long to make a presence in D.C. In Hong Kong, there is a Prada, Gucci, Armani on what seems like every 5 blocks! Then again, it appears that both locals and tourists can't get enough. Varying consumer preference really makes a difference. I wonder if enough brand conscious people in the DC area have a reason to buy these brands.
Ylan Mui: More good comments ...
Engagement Ring: Try Limon's in Bethesda
Ylan Mui: Soon-to-be-engaged guy, you're getting a lot of help!
Silver Spring, Md.: I think the good residents of PG county should count themselves lucky that those retailers haven't roosted near them. Wealth is not built by owning shoes that cost hundreds of dollars per pair.
Ylan Mui: Lots of you guys have comments!
Washington D.C.: For the Dupont Circle chatter:
There is no minimum spending amount required for you to use the services of a personal shopper at Saks. But be warned...you can get pretty carried away with all their excellent suggestions! I had a personal shopper with Saks up in NYC and spent on average $20,000/season (I was working in finance where I had to maintain a certain image). You just set up a consultation with them and the personal shopper will keep charge it directly onto your charge card. They also deliver items to you (at work, if you wish).
Ylan Mui: For the person ISO a personal shopper, here's your answer from another chatter:
Montgomery County, Md.: I know that your time might be running out with us, but I was wondering if you think that the fact that this collection of high-end retailers is not in an enclosed mall, but outside facing the street is any sign of the future of retail in our area. With so many malls within 5 miles of the Collection (and with the Mazza Gallerie right down the street), it seems that the stores went out of their way NOT to be in a mall, and become part of the street life.
Ylan Mui: Your hunch is right on. One of the big trends in malls is, well, not being a mall. People are looking for more "town center"-type experiences. They want something that feels a little more neighborly.
Ylan Mui: Thanks to everyone for some really great questions and comments! I hope you enjoyed the chat. I certainly did! And final shout-out to soon-to-be-engaged guy, good luck once again! Hope she likes the ring!
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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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Ylan Mui, a Washington Post staff writer covering the retail beat, was online to discuss luxury shops in the Washington region.
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More Family Cemeteries Dying Away in the South
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LEBANON, Tenn. -- At the end of Bettis Road, across a padlocked gate and up a grassy hillside lane, generations of James Jordan's ancestors lie buried atop a wooded knoll -- for now.
A rusty fence encircles the cemetery, and tilted headstones point skyward amid the leaves. Walking among the locust trees, Jordan points out graves of long-dead kin, including the Chandler family matriarch who left instructions and money for preserving the cemetery.
"It's a shame," said Jordan, 51. "She died thinking that she had preserved the cemetery."
The hilltop, about 25 miles east of Nashville, won't be Jordan's ancestral resting place much longer. Green flags mark the Chandler cemetery, which includes graves of Revolutionary and Civil War veterans, slaves and generations of a sprawling Colonial family. They will soon be moved so that a factory or warehouse -- the developer is not yet sure -- can be built nearby.
Throughout the South, family cemeteries pepper the landscape. But as cities from Atlanta to Memphis radiate rapidly outward, the growth is swallowing rural land that swaddles the graves.
In Tennessee alone, dozens of long-hidden cemeteries appear each year -- sometimes in mid-construction -- creating headaches for builders and heartaches for families of the dead. Some cemeteries are moved at landowners' expense. Those that stay sometimes become forlorn islands of green amid parking lots and suburban developments. Others are paved over or bulldozed.
The conflict between growth and graves in the region has long been cause for concern among preservationists, who worry that development endangers a cultural heritage buried in the soil and chiseled in its headstones.
Ian W. Brown, an anthropology professor at the University of Alabama, described family cemeteries as "outdoor museums" that are threatened throughout the South.
"A lot of the land has been sold, abandoned, come under forest, things like that," he said. "People are concerned with them in a general fashion, but unless it's your family, no one's tending them."
In Tennessee, as in other Southern states, farm families in centuries past tended to bury their dead on their own land, allowing for quick interment and easy oversight of graves. In the Northeast, by contrast, families were more likely to use public burial grounds and church cemeteries.
"The Southern pattern was that every farm or plantation would have their family cemetery," said Charles Reagan Wilson, director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi.
Over the years, many families dispersed, undergrowth overtook the headstones and deeds changed hands. Some cemeteries -- particularly those where black families buried their kin -- used fieldstones as markers and are difficult to spot.
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No Legal Rights for Enemy Combatants, Scalia Says
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Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia reportedly told an overseas audience this month that the Constitution does not protect foreigners held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
He also told the audience at the University of Freiburg in Switzerland that he was "astounded" by the "hypocritical" reaction in Europe to the prison, this week's issue of Newsweek magazine reported.
The comments came just weeks before the justices are to take up an appeal from a detainee at Guantanamo Bay. The court will hear arguments tomorrow on Salim Ahmed Hamdan's assertion that President Bush overstepped his constitutional authority in ordering a military trial for the former driver of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Hamdan has been held at the prison for nearly four years.
Two years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that the detainees could use U.S. courts to challenge their detention. Scalia disagreed with that ruling, and in the recent speech repeated his beliefs that enemy combatants have no legal rights.
"War is war, and it has never been the case that when you captured a combatant you have to give them a jury trial in your civil courts," Newsweek quoted Scalia as saying. "Give me a break."
Scalia's dissent in the Rasul v. Bush case in 2004 said: "The consequence of this holding, as applied to aliens outside the country, is breathtaking. It permits an alien captured in a foreign theater of active combat to bring a petition against the secretary of defense. . . . Each detainee (at Guantanamo) undoubtedly has complaints -- real or contrived -- about those terms and circumstances. . . . From this point forward, federal courts will entertain petitions from these prisoners, and others like them around the world, challenging actions and events far away, and forcing the courts to oversee one aspect of the executive's conduct of a foreign war."
Newsweek said Scalia was challenged by an audience member in Switzerland about whether Guantanamo Bay detainees have protection under the Geneva or human rights conventions.
Scalia replied: "If he was captured by my army on a battlefield, that is where he belongs. I had a son on that battlefield and they were shooting at my son, and I'm not about to give this man who was captured in a war a full jury trial. I mean it's crazy," Newsweek reported.
Scalia's son Matthew served in Iraq.
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Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia reportedly told an overseas audience this month that the Constitution does not protect foreigners held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
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Putting the Money and Ideas Behind Nation-Building
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Funding Opportunity Description: The Office of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) announces an open competition for grant applications that support democratic governance and reform in Iran.
This represents a new MEPI funding initiative, and submissions must outline activities linked to reform and demonstrate how the proposed approach would achieve sustainable impact in Iran. . . . MEPI has particular interest in supporting programs that are innovative and that meet needs and opportunities not already addressed by current donor funding.
Accordingly, this request seeks projects to broaden and deepen within Iran the means and modes of publicly expressed and responsible citizen views on reform in all its aspects. The range of possible themes and issues includes, but is not limited to:
· the right of citizens to access independent sources of information;
· the right to advocate responsibly on important issues and debate ideas freely with other citizens and local, regional, and national government representatives without fear of retribution, including through democratically organized and legal political parties;
· the right to participate in local and national governance processes;
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Get the latest US government news on recent federal affairs. Up-to-date information and analysis of federal legislation and contracts. Search for government job openings and career information.
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At the Pantheon of Jazz, a Musical Ministry
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SAN FRANCISCO -- A sudden rain barraged the Fillmore District. People were ducking its assault, racing past the church of St. John Coltrane without a glance.
It did not look good for Sunday services. Noon arrived, 12:10, 12:15. The church, no bigger than an average living room, was still nearly empty. It was new to this location, a storefront with mini-blinds and one small sign -- "Coltrane Lives." Maybe worshipers couldn't find it.
But it turns out they did. They made it in, eventually, trickling in wet until the first church ever to claim the late jazz saxophonist as its patron saint was packed. Regulars sat in the front; newcomers sat, and stood, in the back. Erinne Johnson, a young church "Sister of Compassion" in a hooded sweat shirt and jeans, picked up a microphone. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like," she announced, because no doubt there were people who had no idea how long the service might last.
Everyone knew the obvious: The church of St. John Coltrane, officially, the St. John Coltrane African Orthodox Church -- is a house of worship like no other. Known worldwide and written up in tourist guides, it attracts the kind of mixed crowd -- all races, colors, nationalities and creeds -- that most churches cannot even imagine. Not to mention that these days, when Christian rock is big business, a church that plays a jazz virtuoso's tunes as a path to enlightenment doesn't seem so odd -- it seems visionary.
Still, like independent churches all over, this one has struggled to stay alive. The church, which has been providing hot vegetarian meals for the hungry for nearly four decades, has always scraped to get by. In 2000, during the dot-com boom that turned so much of San Francisco into a playground for New Money, the church was forced to move from its tiny storefront near Haight-Ashbury to make way for a cafe. All it could afford was an out-of-the-way spot that almost made people forget it was alive.
Its newest temporary home -- the church has a three-year lease -- is in the heart of the Fillmore, once known as "Harlem West." Jazz and blues clubs took root and flourished here, and though only vestiges of the old neighborhood remain, a big new jazz center is in the works that city officials hope will return the Fillmore District to its old form.
Last Sunday's service was typical: lots of music and listening. "The first part of our service is quiet meditation," said Johnson, as a boombox on the floor played "John Coltrane Live at the Village Vanguard."
The house-band members took their places in front of a seven-foot-tall Byzantine-style painting of Coltrane holding a saxophone with flames coming from it. Bishop Franzo King, in white robes with a fuchsia skullcap and cummerbund, took a seat in front of a conga drum, his soprano sax in hand.
The congregation was alert with anticipation.
King, a former hairdresser who started the church in 1971, has been telling the story of how he had a spiritual experience during a 1965 Coltrane concert in San Francisco. (He was officially ordained a bishop in 1982 by the African Orthodox Church, which also officially acknowledged Coltrane as a saint.) Coltrane, who died in 1967 of liver cancer at age 40, had been a heroin addict, but he had devoted his last 10 years to using his music as an homage to God. King's church tries to do the same -- the liturgy includes two hours of music from Coltrane's late period, with proper due to Coltrane's 1964 "A Love Supreme" album.
About 90 minutes into the service, King rose to deliver the sermon. Tall, thin and youthful-looking, King, 60, blended Catholic prayer with an earnest lesson about finding one's way to God. He also, as always, had to explain to the newbies that the church finds its inspiration in Coltrane's spiritual awakening, as reflected in his music. He noted the prayer and the offering to God in the liner notes of "A Love Supreme."
Children of church members wandered up and down the aisles throughout the service. Musicians slipped in with their trumpets and saxophones. King's wife, Marina, known as the Rev. Mother Marina, led the church choir. His oldest daughter, Wanika Stephens, played the bass. Son Franzo King Jr. performed a tenor saxophone solo.
Other musicians joined the band onstage.
"We wanted to stress to people that we are not here to entertain you," Stephens said later. The mother in her thirties is host of a weekly radio show on the local public station, KPOO, that plays four hours of Coltrane music. "We do know that people are entertained, but we hope they are moved spiritually."
They certainly seem compelled to stay. As the band jammed, the audience stood and clapped. More people slipped in the door. A young man came in with a tambourine. Sister Johnson ushered him in. No, she told him, you're not too late. The band was still jamming. It was nearly 4 p.m.
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Tell Me About It
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Appearing every Wednesday and Friday in The Washington Post Style section and in Sunday Source, Tell Me About It offers readers advice based on the experiences of someone who's been there -- really recently. Carolyn Hax is a 30-something repatriated New Englander with a liberal arts degree and a lot of opinions and that's about it, really, when you get right down to it. Oh, and the shoes. A lot of shoes.
Submit your questions and comments any time before or during today's discussion. Other mail can be directed to Carolyn at tellme@washpost.com .
Carolyn Hax: Hey everybody, happy Friday. Just wanted to respond en masse to the people who are scolding me for not recommending books or parenting classes to the person who was considering having kids but was concerned about not having any experience around kids.
If she needed me to tell her there are such things as books and parenting classes, then all the classes, books and experience in the world weren't going to help her.
What she was looking for (as I read the Q, at least) was a way to be around kids, to get a feel both for them and for her own behavior around them. That of course is a tough thing, since people don't normally rent out their kids for others to practice raising. (Not that some of us dont' consider it.)
I did get one great suggestion from a reader: volunteering at church babysitting rooms during services. They're usually run/supervised by experienced parents, and it's a great way to jump in as a stranger in a way that won't scare people.
Anyone have any other ideas?
Arlington, Va: I lost my baby last week at 16 weeks. This was my first pregnancy after 18 months of trying. I'm so heartbroken, so devastated, I really don't know what to do. People mean well but say the most insensitive things, i.e. "it was a blessing, you can always try again." My husband practically refuses to even talk about it, he just wants to move on and try again. He is taking the biologist way of thinking it wasn't really a baby yet at 16 weeks. I don't think he really believes this, but it's his way of dealing. How to I move on, keep going from here? My little world consists of so many pregnant women and babies. It also consists of so many people that really shouldn't be parents at all - people that have neglected their children, absued them, and generally treated them like a burden. I'm just so lost and I don't know how to find my way back again. How do I keep myself from becoming hateful and bitter?
Carolyn Hax: I'm so sorry. I think it might be really helpful for you to talk to others who have gone through this. Ask your OB-GYN if there are any support groups near you; you can also try the Web, which I know has some active communities of women struggling with infertility and/or miscarriages.
Next, I think you need to be really direct with your husband. "I realize this may be your way of dealing with this, but I'm lost, and I need you."
Next, I'd suggest, to the extent possible, distancing yourself from the mama-and-baby scene. Doing so physically might not always be possible, if you've got co-workers/friends/neighbors/family members who are in the throes. In that case, though, you can try getting distance emotionally, by not scrutinizing other families so closely. Given your grief you are, subconsciously, going to be looking for people who don't sufficiently appreciate their children, and anyone who looks for that is going to find signs all over the place. People can love their kids madly and put their needs first without fail, and still, on some days, want to sell them on Ebay--and these urges often strike in public places and/or at social events, the places children are most likely to get keyed up and crazed, and also the places most likely to be packed with witnesses.
So instead of putting yourself in the position to have your worst fears confirmed that only the least deserving people have kids, just make a conscious effort to pull your attention away and turn it to something else. At least while you heal.
I don't have any new suggestions for the woman who isn't familiar with kids, but the church idea is the perfect one. I am a 26 yo single lady, and teach sunday school at my church to first graders. I have a lot of experience around children and do it because I love it, the other teachers are a mom, and another woman about my age who is thinking about having kids and wanted to see how she felt about them after spending some time with them. While it was certainly an eye-opening experience for her, I think it's definitely been a really worthwhile experience and a great way for her to get some "hands on" experience.
re: books and classes on parenting: That's actually kind of funny -- I suspect your readers have more formal education than average. But, really, sometimes you just can't learn about life and yourself from a book.
How about adopt a sibling, volunteering in an afterschool/evening program to help kids with homework, or coaching a kids sports team. (not that these a substitute. But to learn your reaction to kids, better to be with kids than a book about kids).
Carolyn Hax: Good ideas, thanks, though I suspect the kids would be 5 or 6 at the youngest in these cases, when I suspect this person wanted experience around infants and toddlers.
Re learning life from a book--some written instructions can be extremely useful in childrearing, but I've found it's most useful to get it as you need it. E.g., read a whole pregnancy book in one shot, and you'll be overloaded and freaked. Keep one around for reference as things crop up, and you'll get the information you need.
This is one of the reasons it's so important to get good prenatal care and good pediatric care. These providers have the kind of must-know literature ready for you as you need it, usually in the form of brochures, handouts, book titles and class schedules. It's not like a close-your-eyes-and-jump-er is doomed thereafter to remain completely blind. (Not unless s/he chooses to be.)
I miscarried, too...: I've spent a LOT of time on the bulletin boards at
babycenter.com. There are many rooms for loss. The
women are WONDERFUL, and we've all handled our
miscarriages differently, our husbands have handled them
differently, there are strong Christians, scientists,
everyone. It's been an incredible support, especially
because my husband doesn't/can't understand what I'm
Washington, D.C.: I suspect I know the answer to this, but maybe I need to hear it. Here's the deal: I'm happy in a relationship with a woman, and don't intend to leave it. It's great on all levels. Except one. I'm being a bit dishonest. Another man, equally happy in a relationship with a woman, and I have started a physical relationship. We do so with no emotional attachment to one another, and the understanding that nothing emotional ever will. We are both STD-tested negative, we do not engage in anything more than oral sex, and we do not see anyone else.
I know that cheating is cheating, but it's a situation where the woman obviously can't give me the same exact thing. The question, then, is whether I'm obligated to divulge this to my female girlfriend. Or am I okay to ride this out until my male lover and I move on? He's moving out of town in six weeks anyway. We are enjoying it as a one-time chance to enjoy something different.
How wrong am I here?
Washington, DC: I loved the letter on Sunday from the guy who said "I love my girlfriend, but I'd be happier going out with co-workers tonight than with her. And I know telling her this is not even an option because she'd take it so badly."
Who wouldn't take that sort of phrasing badly? As long as you're not bagging out on some existing social obligation with her for the night, just tell her you made plans to go out with some co-workers, sheesh. If you live together, maybe you also estimate when you'll be home so she doesn't worry, or say you'll call when you're on your way home. How hard is that?
I know from experience that some people have an unreasonable need to do everything together, and those people need to learn to deal, but there also are lots of men and women out there who just assume their partner will be hurt if they're not included in everything. And then go on to make that a self-fulfilling prophecy by insulting their partner's intelligence or maturity.
Carolyn Hax: clap clap clap
Williamsburg, Va.: What to do when you're in a serious relationship and you meet someone who makes you wish you weren't...?
How badly do you wish you weren't already committed to someone else?
What specifically is lacking? Is it something you'd be lacking eventually in any relationship--the fresh-infatuation feeling--or is it something essential to your sense of wellbeing?
Is your discontent with your current relationship solely due to this other person, or was the other person merely the means by which you realized something was wrong?
Can you even answer that question yet? How long have you known the person who's caught your interest?
How would your current partner want you to handle all this?
Just to get you started.
Washington DC: Carolyn - In reading your first poster's message, I'm wondering as a friend of someone who just had a miscarriage - what can I say to help console her? What the poster wrote in from her friends seemed appropriate to me, but I guess I am off base as someone who has never been through this myself. Any suggestions?
Carolyn Hax: Grief really is such an individual experience that one person's insult could be another's emotional lifeline. What I can suggest, though, that I think comes closest to being universal is that you treat a miscarriage as a loss like any other, and the mother's reaction as grief like no other (loss of a person coupled with a sense of personal failure, albeit undeserved). That way, if you're wrong, the mother will assure you she's really okay, which is better than erring the other way.
How would your current partner want you to handle all this? : And: How would you want your current partner to handle all this if he/she were in your shoes?
Carolyn Hax: Right right, thanks.
cheating and std's: You are cheating on your SO other with him. He is cheating on his SO with you. You are both LYING to people you supposedly love. How can you be so sure he is not lying to you? Of course we all have to make a judgement of when to trust someone, but you do not have the right to make that choice for your girlfriend. SHE does not know this man, SHE has not chosen to trust her health to his honesty, and YOU do not have the right to make that choice for her.
This is in addition to what should be so incredibly obvious that cheating is cheating whatever the gender of the other wo/man.
Re: Sunday Letter: But what about when said co-workers are jerks who:
-bad mouth you to your bf
-make passes at said bf
-indulge in binge drinking episodes (where bf is usually the one taking the ones who made the passes home)
As the gf in this situation, whenever I even hear the word "co-workers" and "activity" together I cringe. It always turns into a fight. I understand the need for freedom and friendships outside of the relationship, but certain friendships just cause problems. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd prefer my bf be home and miserable rather than holding "X,Y,Z's" hair over a toilet somewhere.
Carolyn Hax: But that's not your choice to make. If he wants to hold hair, then your choices are: 1. Deal with it and get out of his face about it, or 2. Find another boyfriend.
Recurring fights are never justifiable. He has made his choice. Now you make yours.
Washington, DC: Recently married, and kind of panicked. We're having a really hard time communicating--she gets defensive really quickly, I can't tell why, I am having a hard time saying what I want and need for fear of upsetting her--and I just don't know what to do. We had our bumps before, obviously, and part of me wants to see it that way, but I can't help but think the stakes are higher now that I've got this ring on my finger (and we were married recently enough that it still feels funny when I type, a little over a month ago). I am not bad at communication in general-- I've worked at hotlines in the past, I've had all the 'listening' training one can probably get short of getting some kind of degree-- but I'm at a loss. I've aid all of this to her, but it just makes her feel like she's done something wrong-- something I try to tell her over and over again isn't true, but I don't seem to be able to get through. Advice? Please?
Carolyn Hax: Marriage counseling. Sorry to jump to it so quickly, but it sounds like you've already tried the I'm-okay-you're-okay method. It also sounds like she has some Thing she's not saying; so often, people start to act defensive when what they really fear is to go on the offensive. E.g., will say, "What, you don't love me, you aren't happy in the marriage?!" when the version in their mind is more like, "I'm not happy in this marriage."
Not that this is necessarily what's going on in your marriage--just an example of why defensiveness can be so hard to crack. And why it can help to have a "safe" place to say difficult things, like a (good) marriage counselor's office.
Counseling of course can also be a further source of frustration, but worry about that when you have to. Before you go, though--and even before you suggest it--it would be helpful for you to think carefully about "what I want and need." Are you asking for her to be someone she's not, or someone different from who she was before you got married? Are you accusing? Are you on the defensive yourself?
Washington, DC: Did you ever think the guy in the sexual homosexual relationship on the side has more issues to deal with than that he's "thoroughly" in the wrong. He needs to tell her, and then he needs to spend some time figuring himself out before he jumps into another relationship, purely sexual or otherwise. Your dismissive response didn't really help anyone there. Why include the question if you're not going to be helpful???
Carolyn Hax: I wasn't dismissive of the question. At least, that wasn't my intent. In my opinion, this guy knows -exactly- how wrong his behavior is, and exactly how ludicrous his rationalization is, and wrote in solely to shift the weight of both onto somebody else. While there of course are issues of betrayal and denial and health, just for starters, those all are just elements of the burden that I shifted right back on him. Yes, I was terse. But more words were hardly necessary.
Anonymous: "Recurring fights are never justifiable."...
You have an incredibly amiable relationship, then... I think that's a very unhelpful statement.
Recurring fights can happen for a whole variety of reasons, and therapy can certainly help-- especially if you've been together a long time and plan to stay together. A partner can be depressed and impossible to live with, but not someone you want to give up on, or suffering a long-term illness and very cranky, or you have to work two jobs because of a family crisis and you fight because of stress...
I did read an interesting article in Oprah once, however, about couples having only one fight- no matter what the disagreement- and that you need to get to the core fight to resolve the dilemmas.
Carolyn Hax: What's the difference between saying they aren't justifiable, and saying you have to get to the core of the fight? It's the same advice. Find it. Face it. Solve it. Even if the only way to solve it is to realize it'll never be "solved" and so you have to choose between living with it or leaving.
For Newly Married: I remember early on in my marriage (10 years ago), feeling like things SHOULD BE DIFFERENT NOW THAT WE'RE MARRIED and it took me several years, and some therapy, couples and individual, to realize that marriage isn't an ideal to live up to, but something you create together. I wonder if newly married or his wife are concentrating too hard on HOW IT SHOULD BE NOW, instead of each other?
Carolyn Hax: Excellent question. Newly Married?
Washington, DC: Do you follow your own advice? I think your advice is great, but sometimes it's easier said than done.
Carolyn Hax: Thanks. I certainly try to, especially after I've just failed to. I've also come to believe that "it's easier said than done" things are usually easier done than the alternatives, since the tough thing is usually quick and acutely painful (disinfecting a cut) while the alternative is a chronic, throbbing mess (infected cut).
And, for what it's worth, I don't see myself as a paragon of virtue, but as a problem-solver with limited typing skills.
Bethesda, Md: Here's the situation: A very good friend of mine's wife had an affair and has left him. She says she wants to end the marriage. This was two months aga. Now, my own marriage has fallen apart. In addition to finding out that he cheated, I had to take out a protective order against my husband.
You can guess what happened next. After nights of crying and "comforting" each other, we've gotten very close. Yes, we've already slept together.I regret none of it. We were there for each other and are fulfilling needs that have been unmet for a long time.But here's the problem. He says he holds out some hope that he might get back with his wife, as they have two children together. I understand that intellectually, but I'm not sure I am totally OK with it. He asked me if I would be hurt, and like an idiot, I said no. But the truth is, I don't want him to get back with her, and not just because I want to be with him. I don't think she's right for him. The ongoing affair and the crappy way she's treating him are the primary reasons. How do I now tell him, "I'm not OK with this."
Carolyn Hax: Just that way is fine. "I'm not okay with this." Tell him you were trying to be agreeable and hew to your intellectual beliefs, but you feel better admitting now, to him and to yourself, that his wanting to reconcile does hurt your feelings and you don't think it's good for him, either.
And then you need to admit, to him and to yourself, that it's not your decision to make. It's just not.
What is your decision is whether you remain in a position of extreme vulnerability to someone whose priorities are elsewhere. I really, really wouldn't recommend it. I think you should treat him like a painkiller--okay as prescribed, but dangerous and self-defeating the moment you come to depend on it. Please try to lean on less volatile relationships for comfort and wait till you're stronger before you get into another romance.
Boston, Mass: For the bisexual cheater - I am a wife who discovered her husband had a "harmless, strictly physical" fling with another man over a year ago and I am acutely aware every day of how I can never fulfill this desire he has - even though he says he will never do it again (not to mention the worrisome and degrading experience of having to get STD and AIDS tests as a married woman). Be fair to her - work this out yourself and then decide if you need to be in a relationship or not - and with what gender. Don't expose her to your risky behavior, both physically and emotionally.
Newly Married: I'm sure that unrealistic expectations on my part-- ie, now that I have a ring on my finger everything should be different, like I'm a hobbit or something-- are part of it. I recognize that, and whenever I catch myself doing it I try to stop. But I still can't help shake the feeling that, like you said, there's something going on underneath. And, well, I'm worried. It seems kind of absurd to say it, and suggesting counseling this early might make her even more defensive, but I personally am not averse to it-- I listen to experts in every other area in my life, why not my marriage?--so I think I'll try to go in that direction. I just feel like any more direct efforts on my part, without an intermediary there, aren't going to help-- she gets upset every time it feels to her like I'm 'counseling' her, no matter how I present it, even though she does it for me just as often-- she really doesn't want to be seen as needy, and assuring her that I don't doesn't get very far. But maybe an expert would help. It can't hurt, though I am guessing I'm going to have to present this REALLY tactfully, given the circumstances. Thank you.
Carolyn Hax: Yer welcome. But now I'm thinking two more things: 1. being REALLY tactful might actually make things worse. Sometimes admitting how lost you feel and how you think you need help--i.e., treating your wife as your partner--is better than treating her like live ordnance.
2. Why are you both counselnig each other so much? If you haven't yet tried just sitting back and letting things be the way they are--and letting her be herself, and seeing whether things aren't more pleasant that way--then maybe that would be more constructive at this point than another confrontation.
The counseling suggestion may still await you after you do try this, but if it does, maybe the air will at least be a little less charged.
RE: No experience around kids: Seriously? Either you want kids or you don't. You can be around kids you're entire life and decide that you never want to see another one -- ever. You can never have held a baby and decide you want to have 3 anyhow. How does time being around kids correlate to any innate knowledge of wanting/raising kids?
Carolyn Hax: Some people are live-and-learners, some people are learn-and-live-ers. We all try to do what works for our temperaments.
Plus, people who didn't have happy childhoods often don't trust themselves to provide happy ones for their own kids. Not so much about innate knowledge as learned doubt.
Last week (or longer, i can't recall), you did not think it ok to rat on someone about cheating simply because of the whole risk of std thing. It was a hetero couple and the guy was cheating w/a woman. Now that' it's a gay thing, everyone seems to think "her life is at risk." In this day and age, are we safer with hetero cheating than homo cheating? I think homosexuals have come far with the whole safe sex thing. Any homosexuals out there who agree or disagree with me??
Carolyn Hax: I'm straight and I disagree. To my knowledge, there has been no change in what defines high-risk for HIV. Gay men were leaders in education on sexual health, but there has been documented regression as the effectiveness of HIV and AIDS treatments have given people a false sense of security. That has affected straight people as well as gay, but there are also two other factors here: the invasiveness of the sex, and the secretiveness of someone who is hiding a homosexual behavior. The latter is probably the biggest issue here--people who are hiding something tend not only to take on more risk, but also to lie more to cover their behavior, and both of these guys are hiding. So, yes, this wife is at higher risk than the girlfriend of columns past.
today's column: How does one parse the difference between the guilt ridden/used & abused girl you describe, and just a plain old-fashioned psycho stalker wench? Does one necessarily precede the other?
Carolyn Hax: "Plain old-fashioned psycho stalker wench" is such a dehumanizing cartoon. You know I'll have as much fun as anyone at your or my expense, but when it comes to being part of a relationship with someone (even if it's only to sever that relationship), reducing someone to a cartoon is a great way for one or both of you to get hurt. She is a person. She could be a mean one, or an unstable one, or a stalker, one you never want to see again, or whatever, but a person nevertheless. So the important thing is to be direct and clear and ever mindful that this is a person. "I am sorry I misled you. I am not interested in a relationship," followed, if necessary, by a request that she stop calling. Good for used and abused, stalker, and combinations thereof.
Babyland, USA: Love your advice -- you are always right on. I am writing regarding a question last week about a woman contemplating telling her mom she can come into the labor/delivery room but has to leave, no questions asked, if she says so. Just wanted to add another wrinkle. Wanted your thoughts on the aspect that this is a decision the parents-to-be should attempt to make together. Granted the mom-to-be is doing the work, but seems both should discuss the matter since it is a life changing moment for both. For example, my MIL asked to be in the delivery room with my wife and me, however, I wanted this to be a private moment I shared with my wife and new child. This was not an issue since our baby was breech and my wife had a C-section, but we are expecting another child soon and this issue will surely come up again.
Carolyn Hax: Absolutely both of you should talk about what you envision. It may be that your wife feels so strongly about having her mom there that you, as the one without contractions, have to defer to her wishes. But she should at least know your preference before making any decisions, and you should both consider compromises--someone in the room doesn't have to be there the entire time. It can be a long process, and there might be part of the process for which she specifically wants her mom around, while the rest is just the two of you. Obviously, to the extent that even she has a say in these things.
Syracuse, NY: I'm in a small Moms group that meets in members' homes. I had a falling out with one of the moms last year and now play nice at the get-togethers, but don't talk to her otherwise. I never talked to her about how I felt after she snubbed me, because I realized I was better off without her as a friend. So, my problem, she's hosting tomorrow's get-together, and only a couple other moms will be there. My little ones have been asking to go to her house. Do I accept her hospitality, or bow out? Arrive late/leave early? She's never come to get-togethers at my house since the snubbing.
Carolyn Hax: Eh, just go. The more you avoid her, the bigger this tension gets.
Unless of course you can avoid her completely without locking yourself in your house--by moving to San Diego, say--but since that's apparently not what you want, then going makes sense.
re: risky behavior: I don't remember the details of cheater and girlfriend from columns past, but I think your advice does seem at odds. Part of your rationale for why the homosexual cheater should tell his girlfriend is that hiding a homosexual behavior is lying, and liars tend to take on more risk. Well, isn't hiding a heterosexual cheating behavior lying too? I don't see the difference in secretiveness and lying just becaues the cheatee is a man.
Carolyn Hax: The bi-cheater guy is hiding two things, not one, and the second one is a much bigger issue to hide. Surely we can all agree on that.
I don't like generalizations or stereotypes, and I really really don't like hanging myself out there with a statement that could easily be tagged as a generalization or a stereotype--yes, I'm slow on a normal day, but there's nothing like walking a series of fine lines to make me outright glacial. But, cheez. Wanting peace, love and understanding does not change the factors of risk.
Carolyn Hax: Kay, I'm going to go have a headache. Thanks everybody, and type to you next week.
Oh, and remember, Politics & Prose Sunday at 5 for "Mommy Wars" discussion and signing.
People in the delivery room: I've never had a baby so I could be way off on this, but isn't it exclusively the mother's decision not just because she's doing the work, but also because she's in rather a state of undress at the time? Regardless of any other factors, doesn't the standard everyday veto over who can be in the room when you don't have any pants on apply here too?
Carolyn Hax: Maybe the father plans to be sympathetically pantless.
Unmotivated Friday, DC: I'm surprised no one has addressed today's column yet--is there still time?
Carolyn, your answer was absolutely perfect, but can the guys out there tell me exactly when they started believing that no matter how many reasonable women they meet, they still believe that we're all out to tie them down and make them miserable? We get out of relationships and feel beaten down and sick of being coupled and miss the physical stuff too, you know.
Is it really that hard for everyone to say what they're feeling and try to understand what everyone else is feeling when given the opportunity? Please tell me there's a time when some of these generalizations will stop!
Thanks, for the compliment and for making sense. You did of course use a whomping generalization yourself, but I'll let it slide because you're a girl and you were nice to me.
What happened?: Seems like the wheels fell off the discussion right before that hetero/homosexual risk question.
Carolyn Hax: No kidding. But that's the fun of being live.
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Comics: Meet the Artist
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Join Washington Post Comics page editor Suzanne Tobin online once each month to discuss the comics pages. From artists to writers to editors, Tobin is joined by a different guest for each show. This week, Tobin was joined by " Prickly City " cartoonist Scott Stantis .
Suzanne Tobin: Greetings, comics fans and welcome to another edition of "Comics: Meet the Artist." Today, our guest is Scott Stantis, creator of "Prickly City," and the editorial cartoonist for the Birmingham News in Alabama. Welcome, Scott, and thanks for joining us Live Online.
Scott Stantis: I am so happy to be here in the lions den of liberalism. When I started Prickly City The Washington Post was on my short list of papers I HAD to be in. God bless our sales staff and God bless the Post for running Prickly City. (For our leftist friends that is a totally non-denominational, secular kind of God).
UpMo, MD: Just wanted to say that one of your earliest strips in the Post, concerning the little girl doing a report on a famous woman, made my bulletin board. Oddly, both your strip and Boondocks are must reads each day, just to see how many fingers you and MacGruder can stick into people's eyes; you happen to be a bit more gentle about it. Keep up the great work!
Scott Stantis: Thank you so much!I do try and be a little more gentle. God knows there are enough conservative talking heads screaming at you that perhaps I can deliver my message a little more subversively. I like to think of Prickly City as a chocolate covered cactus.
Scott Stantis: I am so happy to be here in the lions den of liberalism. When I started Prickly City The Washington Post was on my short list of papers I HAD to be in. God bless our sales staff and God bless the Post for running Prickly City. (For our leftist friends that is a totally non-denominational, secular kind of God).
Whether or not I always agree with your point of view, I became a fan of your editorial cartoons when I was an intern at the Grand Rapids Press in 1992, and you did a cartoon from one of my stories. Do you see Prickly City as a natural outgrowth of your editorial cartooning, and do you think you're filling a specific political dearth on the comics pages?
Scott Stantis: Yes. I saw Prickly City as a chance to reach a braoder audience. And, if the volume of email is any indication, I did it. The number of responses to the strip are so much more than to my editorial cartoons. Please write to me at PricklyCity@gmail.com so we can catch up. Seems like I was at the Grand Rapids Press for, like, twenty-six seconds.
South Bend, Indiana: Hi Scott.
If you were a 20-something year old cartoonist just starting
your career, would you still pursue newspapers as your main
On a follow-up question, are flash animations and internet-
publishing the future of editorial cartooning?
I have no earthly idea. I think in the short run color works so much better on the web.
Animation is still so labor intensive I don't see it as a practical day-to-day salution.
I do think podcasting and vloging is next. I do a weekly podcast posted at both Itunes and www.PricklyCity.com which has been growing in listeners steadily.
The web IS a great place to start. Back when I was your age you had to find a small paper editor who would be willing to run your work. Often for nothing. Now, you can skip the middle person and go straight to a mass audience. The only problem I see with this is there is no editor to tell you when a cartoon sucks. Or makes no sense. Things you don't want to hear but really need to hear if you're going to improve.
Washington, DC: Shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit, you were among those who blamed the residents of New Orleans for not leaving the city of their own accord. In fact, you even went so far as to mock them.
My question, therefore, is this: Are you human?
Scott Stantis: Depends on who you ask.
I took in a house full of refugees who stayed with us for many months. I did not blame them the ones who stayed as much as scold them for staying. If you will recall, the following days strip offered them sympathy and directed the blame where it belonged. At the dunderheaded mayor.
Alexandria, Virginia: I'm outraged! How dare you! Don't you know that no comic strip to allowed to express a conservative politicial point of view?
Well, of course there was Little Orphan Annie, Dick Tracy, Steven Canyon, Lil Abner (in the later years, anyway,) etc., but that was in the olden days. Now any comic strip that expresses an opinion on the issues of the day has to go to Doonesbury first and follow the party line.
Ooh, you make me so mad! I can hardly pull myself together so I can go to the Daily Kos website and get my marching orders for what to send in to these chats on Monday!
Bethesda, MD.: Seeing you are not an Alabama native, how did you wind up in Alabama?
Scott Stantis: I came to Alabama to become the editorial cartoonist for The Birmingham News. Seeing as there are only about 80 jobs in the US you go where the work is. I do like it here a lot. Birmingham is a surprisingly cosmopolitan city. The rest of Alabama is, well, Alabama.
Alexandria, VA: Your strip addresses political issues almost 80% of the time. Why should your strip be on the Comics page? Isn't the Op-Ed page a more appropriate forum?
Second question: how old is Carmen intended to be?
I think it does have a place on the comics page. Years ago the rule of proper manners was one did not speak at a party of religion or politics. Now, you don't hear anything else. The succes of Leno, Letterman and especially the Daily Show tells us that political and social humor or mainstream. And if folks don't like it, there's always Marmaduke.
New York, N.Y.: If you think a pro-corporate, pro-big government entity like the Post is a liberal entity, what do you think of the "we'll lie for the President" New York Times? Which, by the way, you may answer freely as they have no comics, which right away makes them suspicious.
Scott Stantis: I totally agree that any publication that has no comics is suspect to the extreme.
You make a great point. The perceived chasim between liberal and conservative in the United States is much smaller than it's made out to be. I would love a much broader debate with reasoned discussion from a wider range of people and views. I guess that is what the internet does so well.
Arlington, VA.: Your cartoons often have political or policy slants. Do you feel happy knowing that you have a loyal following of people who disagree with you, or do you tend to direct your appreciation towards those who mostly agree with your sentiments?
Scott Stantis: I seem to have a large number of readers from the left. I think this speaks well of Prickly City but even more about readers like you. I never claim to have a corner on the truth. I have my views and you have yours. The joy and the passion is in the debate. I often say of my liberal friends, "we may not have the same politics but we share the same values". By this I mean we all want a better world for our children. We want every American to have the oportunity to succed. We don't want to see any one go hungry. How we cure these ills is where the debate begins. I want to engage the whole political spectrum. I take off on Republicans, too, ya know.
I am 12 and my name is Robbie.
I like your cartoon the most in my paper.
My dad really loves it, but my mom doesn't, but they
always argue about it, but in a fun way.
Is that the way u want it to b?
My favorite character is the fox.
How did you get that idea.
Scott Stantis: Thank you. I am trying to figure out where UR is?
Yes, I want people to discuss. To question their own ideas and discuss them. If your ideas are never challenged then they may be febble or nonesense. I am challenged everyday on my opinions. I do not come to them lightly. I research and make a decision. And you know what? Sometimes I am wrong.
As for Winslow, actually, he is a coyote. I lived in Arizona for many years before moving here to Birmingham, Alabama. I fell in love with the desert. It's such a cool, foreighn environment I thought it would be perfect for a strip. Everything in the desert is designed to prick you, hurt you, kill you or eat you. I think that is a great metaphore for our current political landscape.
Back in January you had a strip where one of your characters claimed that "at least 80 Democrats took money from Mr. Abramoff." Can you name one or two of those Democrats for us and give us some evidence to back up your claim?
From everything I've read elsewhere, Jack Abramoff is (like you) a diehard Republican who has never given a cent to a Democrat in his life. In fact, even Abramoff's lobbying clients, who originally gave money to Democrats, gave LESS money to those same Democrats after they hired him. So Abramoff never gave any money himself and he was indirectly responsible for steering money away from the Democrats.
Unless you can back up your claim, I think you owe your readers an apology and a correction.
Scott Stantis: Indeed, they did give far less to Democrats. But the fact of the matter is, they DID give money to democrats per Abramoff's instructions. Harry Reid took a bunch and has since refused to return it. And you know what? He has a point. Sadly, there may have been no laws broken here. Money in politics is a cancer. If someone can show me a good, workable model for campaign finance reform that passes constitutional mustard sign me up!
Potomac: Many people find your comic absolutely childish, juvenile and just plain offensive. On some days, your points are so broad, so scattershot and so childish, it's as if the strip was "written" by an 8-year-old. And the drawing of the girl--what is wrong with her lips, and why is she always running and jumping off of cliffs? The strip is not funny, not enjoyable, and, really, offensive.
Scott Stantis: Then don't read it.
Arlington, Va.: I couldn't help but notice that the Post felt it necessary to schedule a chat with Noam Chomsky the same day as the chat with you. Is there any chance that you and Noam might collaborate on a strip?
Suzanne Tobin: Seeing as I choose the date and the guest for my chats, I'm afraid you are mistaken about this. The only reason Scott wasn't on next week, which is when I originally asked him to join me, is that I decided to take next Friday off.
Scott Stantis: Now THAT would be a challenging comic strip.
Medford, MA: I like the part when you make fun of liberals. Liberals are silly and you do a great job of exposing the silliness of liberals. We need more people like you to illustrate how silly liberals are. Ha ha ha ha. Even right now I'm laughing at how silly liberals are. I didn't even know how silly liberals were until you exposed how silly liberals are. Ha ha ha ha. Funny. Scott Stantis is funny. But not as funny as silly liberals.
Chicago, IL: It seems like your comic strip bears a striking resemblence to Calvin and Hobbes (only with a more political slant) is this an homage or , if you'll forgive my frankness, a rip-off?
Scott Stantis: I will admit to homage. Just as Watterson based his strip on earlier comic strips. Comic art is just that, art. And every artist owes a huge debt to those who came before them. You will also notice on Prickly City the influence of Peanuts, Pogo, Krazy Kat, Skippy, Doonesbury, (yes, Doonesbury, still the gold standard as far as I am concerned), and Bloom County.
Washington, DC: Do you ever read Francesco Marciuliano's "Medium Large? I was just wondering if you happened to catch the strip from this Wednesday, which happened to reference your own work.
Scott Stantis: I'll have to check that out. I am sure it is not complimentary as that web sight has been pretty upfront about disliking my work.
Scott Stantis: Site, that should read.
I read your strip and appreciate that you do take shots at both sides, but how can the decision to make Carmen a minority be seen as anything but cynical on your part?
Scott Stantis: I mentioned earlier in the discussion, Carmen is a girl of color because I wanted a representative figure for a typical American. And some say that by 2020 the United States will not have a majority race. I wanted to reflect that.
Washington, DC: Why do you think FOX News has yet to pick up on your strategy of softening the impact of ultra-conservative views by putting them in the mouth of a black girl? Don't you think they should replace Hannity with someone less old, white, and male in order to get this same effect? Are you perhaps in negotiations with them to help develop this show?
Scott Stantis: I never said Carmen was black. Or Latino. Or native American. She is a girl of color because, as early as the year 2020 the United States will not have a majority race. She is, in my view, the very image of an American.
I can't speak for Fox but I do agree with you. As more and more African-Americans and Latinos build businesses they will find that paying large amounts of taxes and dealing with often oppresive regulations kinda sucks. And will become somewhat more conservative. Seems short sighted NOT to add darker faces on the Fox News broadcasts.
Washington, DC: "There may have been no laws broken here"?
Jack Abramoff pled guilty to "conspiracy to bribe public officials" as well as two other charges. How can you possibly say that no laws were broken?
Scott Stantis: I was addressing the money directed to Democrats. Sorry for not being more specific. Aren't all campaign contributions bribes?
Clifton, VA: Scott - big fan here, and thanks for chatting today. I think a lot of cartoonists feel pressure to be funny or amusing in their strips, and while Prickly City gets more than its share of laughs from me, it's pretty obvious that sometimes you just want to make a political or social point. How do you balance the tension between being a cartoonist -- on the _comics_ page -- and being a sociopolitical commenter?
Scott Stantis: Again, wonderful question.
Short answer is; I don't worry about it. I write what's on my mind that week. Sometimes serious. Sometimes perfectly silly. It's all in my mood and what is in the news. I know it is a risk but there seem to be a growing number of people who 'get it'. It just seemed to me when I started Prickly City that if I smash the readers in the mouth every day with my politics and social views it would get tiresome. Even for me. As a creator and artist I love the ebb and flow of the format I have choosen. And I really appreciate people like you who see what I am doing for what it is. A sort of free form post card to a few million of my closest friends.
Chicago: What do you think of the state of the newspaper industry? You;ve done some pretty scathing strips on the topic.
Also what do you think of your conservative counterpart who does Mallard fillmore?
Scott Stantis: I am not impressed by most editors response to the challenges facing the newspaper industry. It is more panic. I see the future of newspapers as brighter than ever. We are facing a decade of change and I find that invigorating.
As for any other comic strip I have to say I respect any one who can crank one of these out day-to-day. It's a lot harder to do then it looks.
Denver City TX: So don't you think it's a little, shall we say, disingenuous for you to use a young black girl -- one with lips that are a Sambo-like racial parody, to boot! -- as the mouthpiece for your middle-aged white guy beliefs?
Scott Stantis: As I said, I never say what race Carmen is. Angelina Jolie has thick lips.
You're the one throwing around racial stereotypes. "Sambo"? Shame on you.
Washington, DC: After Rosa Parks passed away, you had a strip in which Carmen thanked the late civil rights leader for making it possible for Carmen to sit wherever she wanted.
To say that you never stated your character's race may be true, but to say you never strongly implied it would be extremely dishonest.
Scott Stantis: The heroes of the civil rights movement were very clear. They blazed a trail for ALL of us. I have never said what Carmen's racial makeup is. In fact, I have joked about that fact in Prickly City a numbr of times. And I never will reveal it. In my mind she is all things in this country that are good. Diversity. Independence. Freedom of thought. The perverbial melting pot all wrapped up in one little girl.
Portland, Oregon: Regarding your earlier claim that "at least 80 Democrats took money from Mr. Abramoff."
Are you now admitting that not a single Democrat ever took money directly from Jack Abramoff?
And if money from an Abramoff client is somehow tainted, doesn't that mean the president is directly stained by the $100,000 that Abramoff raised as a "Bush Pioneer"? If money "steered" toward a campaign is a problem, no Democrat can come close to what Bush has raked in. (But Bush hasn't offered to give that $100,000 back.)
Scott Stantis: Let me clear here:
There is no doubt this is a Republican scandal. But no one in congress gets off clean. Once the holler goes out that there is money to be had the hogs come charging, regardless of politiccal stripe.
Yesb, UT: Yes, but the typical American with Carmen's philosophy would be a white male. The choice to make her of color strikes many as a cynical one to insulate her/you from certain political counterpoints...
Scott Stantis: The intention was to challenge you and other readers to think outside the dominant paradigmn. The fact that you are questioning it would imply that it is working.
Fairfax, VA: Are there plans for more characters or to introduce different locations?
Scott Stantis: I have taken Carmen and Winslow to Washington, DC are a couple of occasions. I have had few characters come and go but so far I like writing for just the two of them. But I do agree that the strip needs to expand and I have a handful of new chracters I hope to introduce soon.
Denver City TX: I love it. Shame on ME for noting that YOUR mouthpiece character is a racial parody. That, my friend, is hilarious.
Scott Stantis: Yes, shame on you. Because an ethnic figure does not act or talk the way you think they should? Yes, that, my friend, is stereotyping. The fact that you achknowledge that she has wandered off of your idealogical plantation proves my point.
Given the political bent of your strip, what do you expect to accomplish with Prickly City? It seems a lot more about blaming and shrill insults at the "other side" rather than presenting an arguement for your point of view - i.e. more Rush Limbaugh than George Will...
Scott Stantis: Or Doonesbury or Boondocks. I use the tools I have. I am an editorialist by trade. I want to challenge your notions.
Arlington, Va.: To Ms. Tobin re: Chomsky. I was just teasing. I'm sorry; didn't mean to rub you the wrong way....
Suzanne Tobin: No harm, no foul.
Listen, if you could read some of the rude statements that are being sent in to Scott, you would understand why I didn't realize you were teasing. My mother used to say, "It doesn't cost you a dime to be polite, and it can earn you millions in good will." The one thing I am continually disillusioned by in doing these discussions is that because of the anonymity (I'm guessing), posters feel free to be rude to my guests. I consider myself a host in the social sense of the word, as well, and while I don't agree with many of Scott's political views, I would fight to the death for his right to express them.
cranking out strips, Maryland: It's hard but you'd rather do that than say, an office job, right?
Scott Stantis: YOU BET!!!! Do you know how great it is to wake up every morning knowing that you are going to be able to do what you love? And get paid for it to boot? I encourage my children to follow the road that amkes them happy. It may not make you rich but it sure makes life a lot of fun.
Chicago, IL: I've noticed that Prickly City often has the same story lines as your editorial cartoon, only two weeks later. Do you have any plans to let the characters develop and make their own way in the world, or will they always be having delayed reactions?
Scott Stantis: Prickly City is designed to comment on current events. The fact that there is overlap is inevitable. A lot of times I will take on a story line which would be impossible to do in an editorial cartoon.
Dallas, TX: How far is going too far with your comic? Can you say
things about religion - say about Christianity, Jesus, etc.
Is that just asking for trouble from editors? What
guidelines are there in that regard?
Scott Stantis: Today's editors are so fearfull that I think any mention of, well, anything beyond fuzzy kittens scares them. (The Washington Post exempted, of course). It's a weird time. Religion, especially after the Danish Mohammed cartoons is more taboo then ever. Which means, of course, I will kick that issue a lot.
The Distri, CT: Hey there, Scotty. I understand the Post has you as the "conservative" balance to more liberal strips like the Boondocks, but is there any chance you could, maybe, once in a while, you know, actually be FUNNY? Maybe lighten up on the heavy-handed anti-liberalism, and make a joke or two here and there? Maybe do a strip that doesn't alternate between annoying and boring?
Let me preempt the inevitable question "why don't you just ignore it" by saying that the Washington Post has made that impossible for me. See, your strip is between two strips I actually do read and enjoy. I can't safely skim down from Non Sequitor to Candorville without passing through the daily debacle that is your 3-4 panels of conservative hackitude.
I understand you may need to collect a check from the Post, and this being America, you have the right to make a living however you choose. But, this being America, I have the right to ask you to please do me a favor and just submit blank panels every day from now until the time you are able to find more gainful employment? Pretty please with sugar on top?
Suzanne Tobin: Speaking of "Boondocks," I hope everyone knows that Aaron McGruder has chosen to take a six-month sabbatical beginning Monday, which is why it won't be published during that time. We are taking the opportunity to try out three other strips, each for 8 weeks, in the space formerly occupied by "Boondocks." We put a note to that effect in Thursday's editions, but it often seems our readers don't notice our notes. So feel free to spread the word that it's not The Post that pulled the strip, but the creator himself. And we really hope you'll take the time to familiarize yourselves with the characters and storylines, so when the tests are done, you can let us know which ones, if any, we should add to the lineup.
Scott Stantis: Lee Salem, the great editor at Universal Press Syndicate, told Gary Trudeau to "take you foot off of their throats once in a while". Good advice. In fact, this week is a very light week in terms of subject matter. AND I have taken on the White House and Republicans as well as liberals.
I'd argue that only maybe 1/3 of the comics are worth a damn on any given day in The Post. Do you think more cartoonists should take occasional break to recharge?
Suzanne Tobin: Universal Press Syndicate, for one, has, in recent years, allowed their cartoonists several weeks of leave, during which they run old strips. UPS distributes Prickly City and The Boondocks and Doonesbury. I've always thought that expecting someone to produce a strip 365 days a year schedule is a bit Dickensian. But, like you and me, cartoonists have bills to pay and families to feed, and I don't think many of them can afford to take full-blown sabbaticals like Garry Trudeau did several years back. Not many cartoonists have someone like Jane Pauley bringing in the big bucks while they're recharging.
Scott Stantis: I do think cartoonists get burned out. Or just rely on the same, tired gags. I hope I have not gotten to that point after only a year-and-a-half.
Scott Stantis: Thank you to all of you for chatting things up. It's rich stew. It's good to stir things up. Thanks.
Suzanne Tobin: We're all out of time, folks. Thanks, Scott, for taking the time to commune with our readers. Hope to see you all back here in April for another edition of "Comics: Meet the Artist."
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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 comics page editor Suzanne Tobin is joined by "Prickly City" cartoonist Scott Stantis.
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Chat With Chomsky
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Noam Chomsky received his Ph.D. in linguistics in 1955 from the University of Pennsylvania. From 1951 to 1955, he served as a Junior Fellow of the Harvard University Society of Fellows. The major theoretical viewpoints of his doctoral dissertation appeared in the monograph Syntactic Structure, 1957. This formed part of a more extensive work, The Logical Structure of Linguistic Theory, circulated in mimeograph in 1955 and published in 1975.
Chomsky joined the staff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1955 and in 1961 was appointed full professor. In 1976 he was appointed Institute Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy.
Chomsky has lectured at many universities in the U.S. and abroad and is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and awards. He has written and lectured widely on linguistics, philosophy, intellectual history, contemporary issues, international affairs and U.S. foreign policy.
Indeed, along with his linguistics work, Chomsky is also widely known for his political activism, and for his criticism of the foreign policy of the United States and other governments.
His most recent books are A New Generation Draws the Line; New Horizons in the Study of Language and Mind; Rogue States; 9-11; Understanding Power; On Nature and Language; Pirates and Emperors, Old and New; Chomsky on Democracy and Education; Middle East Illusions; Hegemony or Survival; and Imperial Ambitions.
According to the Arts and Humanities Citation Index, between 1980 and 1992 Chomsky was cited as a source more often than any living scholar, and the eighth most cited source overall.
Arlington, Va.: Why do you think the US went to war against Iraq?
Noam Chomsky: Iraq has the second largest oil reserves in the world, it is right in the midst of the major energy reserves in the world. Its been a primary goal of US policy since World War II (like Britain before it) to control what the State Department called "a stupendous source of strategic power" and one of the greatest material prizes in history. Establishing a client state in Iraq would significantly enhance that strategic power, a matter of great significance for the future. As Zbigniew Brzezinski observed, it would provide the US with "critical leverage" of its European and Asian rivals, a conception with roots in early post-war planning. These are substantial reasons for aggression -- not unlike those of the British when they invaded and occupied Iraq over 80 years earlier, at the dawn of the oil age.
State College, Pa.: Noam - I heard you talking about international law on alternative radio and (I think) expounding the idea that the Bush administration's flavor of premtive war is illegal. I agree that the Bush administration's actions are illegal. Would you comment on how much we should submit to international law in that area?
Noam Chomsky: That depends on whether we want to be what's called an "outlaw state," which dismisses international law and norms and treaty obligations, or a law-abiding member of the international community. Public opinion studies strongly indicate that the general public wants the latter. State policy, to an extreme extent under Bush II, adopts the former conception, quite explicitly, in words and in practice. I think this country and the world would be far better off if the US is not an outlaw state.
Forest Glen Park, Md.: Professor Chomsky, I don't recall your exact quote, but I believe you have said something to the effect, that in your opinion, the mainstream media outlets in the US have gotten better since 9-11 with getting out accurate, more accessible, less-censored news to the general public. My husband disagrees, he thinks that the editorial boards of too many mainstream news outlets slant too much to the right. I agree in some situations. Look at how NPR is now. Can you expand on your opinion of the current state or trends, of US mainstream news outlets? Thank you!
Noam Chomsky: I don't recall the statement. It's hard to give a measure. There are too many dimensions, too much variability. There are outstanding reporters and commentators, but as a broad generalization, I think it is fair to say that the media adopt the basic framework of state and private power, mostly uncritically. It's not hard to demonstrate, and plenty has been written revealing these unfortunate but typical patterns -- which are by no means new.
Cleveland, Miss.: Are you really so much of a stereotypical "say as I do, not as I say" liberal icon that you deride tax shelters and trust funds, all the while setting up one of your own, or is the story that's been a hot topic on the internet the past few days a lie?
Noam Chomsky: A person who issues that charge that someone adheres to the principle "do as I say, not as I do" (the actual charge) has three options: (1) produce an example; (2) withdraw the charge; (3) take the coward's way out and slink away silently. So far, no one has provided even a single example (if you can find one, I'd be glad to know about it and correct the practice). Thzt leaves (2) or (3). The examples you mention obviously won't work unless you can produce a statement of mine saying that others should not do exactly what I do. You'll find no such statement, either in the literature to which you are referring, or elsewhere. I'm omitting the many pure fabrications that accompany these charges.
San Francisco, Calif.: Why is the Republican spin (propaganda) so effective with the American public?
Noam Chomsky: It's not so clear that it is all that effective, a long story. But to some extent it doubtless is effective. There's no space to go into the matter here, but there is a perceptive and accurate analysis of the techniques of deceit and misrepresentation that the current administration has refined to a high art in a recent book by political scientists Hacker and Pierson, called "Off Center."
Elgin, Ill.: Everyone in basic linguistics knows of your work. What are you doing these days in linguistics? I've had some interesting discussions with several neurobiologists... turns out the Language Organ may actually exist, heh heh.
Noam Chomsky: That a "language organ" exists is almost impossible to deny. The questions have to do with the nature of the genetically determined capacities that enable an infant, but not her pet kitten (songbird, chimp, etc.), to develop the capacities we are now using, even if they all have exactly the same data. That's the topic I'm continuing to work on, as are many others. There are I think quite interesting recent insights and discoveries, but I can't go into them here.
Austin, Tex.: From a sociolinguistic perspective, do you think that the way that the US conveys messages is affecting the perception of the US negatively in the international community? If so, what would you suggest to government officials to keep in mind as they shape public statements?
Noam Chomsky: It's not a matter of public relations and rhetorical style but of actions. It's the actions and policies that have left the US government remarkably isolated, feared and often hated to an extent with no historical precedent. International polls show that very clearly, in the past few years.
Inverness, Fla.: Professor Chomsky,I am curios if you have any understandings and, or opinions of the global water situation? Where do you see us in 10-20 years trying to sustain and distribute water?
Noam Chomsky: I'm no expert on this matter. It is, however, pretty clear that the problems are severe and perhaps dire. Right now, huge numbers of people cannot obtain even drinking water, and the situation is likely to become worse with predicted climate change and failure to take the actions that are necessary.
Washington, D.C.: I've read a lot of your works and i can't figure out where exactly to locate you in terms of political philosophy: social democrat, socialist, communist? One useful barometer would be to know if you believe in a right to private property? if, yes, what are the limits of that right?
Noam Chomsky: The terms have been so debased that they are hardly usable. I think a decent society should protect rights to private property within limits, but not concentrations of private power that infringe on the freedom and rights of others, including exploitation of labor, and that convert any democratic forms into what have been called sometimes "hierarchical democracies," like ours, in which some have vastly greater influence over public policy than others. Spelling all of this out is a complex matter that raises many issue and problems that are impossible to address here.
New York, N.Y.: Noam, there is a general conception that the public is much more cynical and jaded these days than past; and yet it also seems that the public is gullible ("Manufacturing Consent"). How can I reconcile these 2 notions? Or is it as simple as anticipating and manipulating people's distrust (in 9/11's case, xenophobia)?
Noam Chomsky: One should be cautious about "general conceptions." I think a strong case can be made that activism today is as high as ever, perhaps more so, and is also taking new and significant forms. There has never been anything like the international solidarity movements that began to take shape in the 1980s, right in the mainstream, or the global justice movements that have become a very powerful force in later yeasr. It's true that the society is highly atomized, which does induce a sense of hopelessness often -- quite mistakenly I think. There are enormous opportunities to work for a world that is more free, peaceful and just. The phrase "manufacturing consent" (which my co-author Edward Herman and I borrowed from Walter Lippmann) does not have to do with the success of efforts at manipulation, but rather with the nature of the institutions dedicated to these efforts, and what they produce. How effective it is. and among which sectors of the population, is a different matter.
Lancaster, U.K: What do you feel are the limits to 'free speech' given the arguments recently over racial hatred and religious intolerance?
Noam Chomsky: My feeling is that the Supreme Court reached a reasonable standard of protection of speech in the 1960s, a standard higher than any other country in the world, to my knowledge. In brief, speech should be protected up to participation in imminent criminal action. So if you and I go into a store to rob it, and I say "shoot," that's not protected. Like all judicial decisions and legislation, this leaves plenty of gray areas, including many of great significance that are rarely discussed: advocacy of imminent war crimes, such as aggression, for example. I think we would all agree that such speech should be protected, despite the often horrific consequences, but it's worth noting that that stretches the doctrine to its limits.
Austin, Tex.: You stated in a previous response that "It's the actions and policies that have left the US government remarkably isolated, feared and often hated to an extent with no historical precedent. " What if any, have been the most negative international reaction from those actions which have adversely affected the US? I am familiar with losing partners in the "war on terror", but I am looking more at business decisions of other countries/international corporations.
Noam Chomsky: The response had to do with public opinion. Business decisions are a diffeent matter.
Many fear the country is moving towards a "police state" where the Executive acts according to its desires, without constraint. What possibilities do you see, if any, for the trend towards consolidation of power in the Executive to be thwarted?
Noam Chomsky: The concerns are justified. Thus in this morning's press it was reported that after signing the new version of the Patriot Act with grandiose flourishes, President Bush quietly issued a "signing statement" that exempted him from its requirement to notify Congress of FBI actions that go beyond court authorizaton. That is yet another brazen affirmation of executive power. There are many others. There is little doubt that this administration is at an extreme in seeking to establish a powerful state executive, free from interference by Congress or public awareness of its actions. The justification is the "war on terror," but that can hardly be taken seriously. Terror is doubtless a very serious threat, but it is all to easy to demonstrate that it does not rank high in administration priorities.
Though the concerns are valid, we should not exqggerate. The public is not likely to give up the achievements of centuries of struggle easily.
Washington, D.C.: Do you believe that Latin America can be successful in developing alternatives to Washington Consensus neoliberal policy and do you believe that Globalization is a real thing as often portrayed by writers like Thomas Friedman?
Noam Chomsky: The term "globalization," like most terms of public discourse, has two meanings: its literal meaning, and a technical sense used for doctrinal purposes. In its literal sense, "globalization" means international integration. Its strongest proponents since its origins have been the workers movements and the left (which is why unions are called "internationals"), and the strongest proponents today are those who meet annually in the World Social Forum and its many regional offshoots. In the technical sense defined by the powerful, they are described as "anti-globalization," which means that they favor globalization directed to the needs and concerns of people, not investors,financial institutions and other sectors of power, with the interests of people incidental. That's "globalization" in the technical doctrinal sense. Latin America is now exploring new and often promising paths in rejecting the doctrinal notions of "globalization," and also in the remarkable growth of popular movements and authentic participation in the political systems. How successful this will be is more a matter for action than for speculation.
washingtonpost.com: Thank you for joining us for a thoughtful and wide-ranging discussion today.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online 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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Campbell, Local Talent Key to GMU's Success
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Early in his senior year at Springbrook High in Silver Spring, Folarin Campbell told his high school coach that he wanted to go to George Mason. Then he asked that coach, Keith Adams, whether he was disappointed.
It was not a typical reaction from a player just deciding to accept a Division I scholarship, but Campbell was not a typical Montgomery County player. The previous year he had averaged more than 26 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists per game, earning All-Met honors. Friends, teammates and opposing coaches thought he was destined for the ACC or the Big East. Then he told them he was headed for Fairfax.
Two-and-a-half years later, Campbell's decision appears as inspired as his high school career. George Mason is one of 16 schools still alive in the NCAA tournament. The Patriots' locally grown lineup will face Wichita State tonight in a downtown arena that will be filled with family and friends. And the greatest month in George Mason basketball history has been keyed by two of Campbell's best collegiate performances; he had 21 points on 8-of-8 shooting against Michigan State and had 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists against North Carolina.
"He took a lot of heat for going to George Mason, but it was the easiest decision he could make," Adams said. "He had a lot of scholarships, but you have to remember, he's a family kid. When he said, 'This is where I'd like to go, is it okay with you? I don't want to disappoint you, are you okay with it?' I said, 'Hey, it's up to you.' "
This week has been what Campbell envisioned when he turned down Providence and preempted the recruiting process by committing early to George Mason, a school that had never won an NCAA tournament game before last week.
"I mean, everybody wants to go to a big-time school just because you want to be on TV, or to have a chance to win in the NCAA tournament, but you've got to go somewhere where you know you can play," Campbell said. "I chose George Mason because I knew I could come here, right away my freshman year, and play. And I did that. And, my sophomore year, I'm starting now, contributing to the team, going to the NCAA tournament, going to the Sweet 16. It's just a wonderful feeling. I don't regret anything."
Campbell, along with fellow sophomores Will Thomas and John Vaughan, was close to the Platonic ideal of George Mason Coach Jim Larranaga's recruiting philosophy, which called for a sustained effort to earn early commitments from local stars. For much of the regular season, the Patriots were the only Division I team to start five players from the state of Maryland. Many of them had a chance to go to better-known programs, including Campbell, whose high school exploits remain legendary. There was the time he scored 51 points against Richard Montgomery.
"We just pretty much threw everything we could at him," Richard Montgomery Coach Scott Spear said. "Our defense was completely concentrated on him, to try to just keep him from the ball, but there was nothing you could do once he touched the ball."
There was the Maryland 4A final against Northwestern and future Georgetown star Jeff Green, in which Campbell left the court because of a sprained ankle that swelled to the size of an orange. At halftime, with Springbrook trailing by 12, Adams asked whether Campbell wanted to give it another try. He reentered the game and scored 18 second-half points, including an off-balance three-pointer that tied the score in the final 15 seconds.
"I'm telling you, he hobbled out and all I could think of was the Knicks and Willis Reed; that's all I could think about," former Northwestern coach Tony Dickens said this week. "It was a great performance."
As a freshman at George Mason, Campbell averaged nearly 17 minutes a game while playing shooting guard and small forward. Like Thomas and Vaughan, he was named to the Colonial Athletic Association all-rookie team. But his shooting percentage was a disappointing 41 percent, and coaches decided to turn the high school scoring machine into a college point guard.
"He's the kind of player that adapts to whatever situation he's in," assistant coach Scott Cherry said. "If we ask him to come off a screen and look to score and get to the basket, then he does that. If we give him the ball and tell him to run the team and get guys where they're supposed to be, he does that, too."
George Mason is quite possibly the only team in the tournament with a point guard known as "Shaq" -- Campbell's nickname since grade school, when he towered over his classmates. Despite his outburst last weekend, he calls himself the team's fourth or fifth scoring option, and several teammates said Campbell's maturation as a point guard has been responsible for their 18-3 record since the New Year.
"He's a terrific player, one of those guys where you look at the stats and they don't overwhelm you, but you know there's a lot more to it than just the numbers," Wichita State assistant Tad Boyle said. "I think he's kind of the X-factor for them, to be honest with you."
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George Mason's roster of local stars looks to put together another inspired performance against Wichita State Friday night at Verizon Center.
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Why Be A Billionaire?
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According to Forbes magazine, the world is enjoying a boom in billionaires. Twenty years ago there were 140 billionaires. Three years ago there were 476. This year there are 793.
Some people automatically associate great wealth with evil, and they deserve the ridicule they get. But the automatic association of great wealth with virtue is equally fatuous.
It's probably true that most billionaires have acquired their wealth in ways that make life better for the rest of us. But the Forbes list includes plenty who merely chose rich parents. There are many whose accumulation of vast wealth, however gumptious, does not fit the Adam Smith model of individual drive and greed being channeled into activities that benefit all. The rising value of exclusive franchises given away by the government, such as cable TV and cellphone licenses, creates billionaires without generating any general social payoff. Real estate investors do not create a square inch of land.
Meanwhile, science undermines the notion that people deserve moral credit for their smarts, daring, vision, dedication and similar virtues, even when these are applied in socially beneficial ways. Intelligence was the first to go. Why should you get the credit if your brains make you a billionaire? Increasingly, neuroscience and evolutionary psychology are showing that the same logic applies to other admirable qualities.
Adam Smith explained how our individual efforts serve the common good. We work to produce things that can be traded for things we want. That's an improvement on making everything that we consume ourselves. The first exchange of one caveman's dinosaur meat for another's rather attractive decorative rock started a process that, after millions of years, leads to DVD players at Wal-Mart that cost less than DVDs. Or something like that.
But billionaires are beyond the desire for more money to buy more stuff. Just look at Forbes's breathy descriptions of the billionaire lifestyle. Add it up. Yachts can cost up to $300 million to buy plus 10 percent annually to run, and a Russian on the list has three. So you need three, all bigger than anyone else's. Assuming that each one sinks after five years, this will cost you $270 million a year. The most expensive car Forbes could find was something called a Bugatti Veyron, costing $1 million. Get a new one every year -- heck, get three -- throw in a full-time driver, and luxuriate in a visit to Jiffy Lube whenever you feel like it, and you're still talking barely $4 million a year. Forbes reports that actually the top 10 billionaires drive cars much cheaper than this.
House? Prince Ahlwaleed bin Talal Alsaud has a palace that cost $130 million. Suppose you own five of these, and every 10 years you start again. Even including maintenance, air conditioning and condo fees, you have to struggle to hit $100 million a year. Put one of your houses on your own private island. The most expensive island Forbes could find for sale was listed at $39.7 million. Buy a new one every year, but don't go see it. Fly a private jet to the Bahamas instead. Forbes says you can charter a plane to the Bahamas for $40,000. So do that every weekend. It adds up to $2 million. Check into a nice hotel. Add another million and use the mini-bar.
Staff yourself silly with personal assistants and special British-trained security agents. Have a Starbucks latte every single day. Total? Uh-oh, you're spending over $400 million a year. At that rate, the average billionaire's $3.3 billion stash could be gone in less than a decade. But about 90 percent of that is the boats and the houses. Settle for one maximum-size yacht, two enormous houses (plus a Las Vegas time share) and only one private island. Congratulations, you're down to barely $100 million a year. At that rate, you can live like a Saudi prince, and $3.3 billion will last you and your children forever. (Depending, of course, on how many children you have. This guarantee does not apply to actual Saudi princes.)
Surely billionaires are not inspired to accumulate more billions by the prospect of a third gigantic yacht. Most billionaires spend far less than these amounts. Many of them give huge amounts to charity. But it's also hard to believe that the chance to give it away is a major motive for earning it in the first place. And if billionaires do earn it primarily to give it away, that itself would require a special economic theory just for them, different from the one that explains the rest of us.
The prevalent theory of billionaire behavior is that it's a matter of keeping score. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn recently told Ken Auletta of the New Yorker, "I enjoy winning and making money." Keynes meant something similar when he used the term "animal spirits."
Okay, fine. But if it's all about winning, wouldn't (say) half as much money be just as much winning -- as long as everybody else in the game had half as much money as well? If Icahn is right, a stiff tax on billionaires ought to have no effect on the fragile incentive structures of billionaires, as long as it is applied to all billionaires equally. I'm not advocating such a tax. I am, though, suggesting that the exquisite sensitivity to the incentives of rich people that dominates our tax policy may be overwrought.
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Since billionaire behavior seems to be all about winning, not the absolute amount of one's fortune, our tax policy's concern for rich people may be overwrought.
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