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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/02/AR2005090201867.html
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https://web.archive.org/web/2005090319id_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/02/AR2005090201867.html
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Dozens of Countries Offer Aid to U.S.
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In a twist on the usual flow of international aid, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that the United States has received dozens of offers of aid from other countries on six continents and has not rejected any offer.
The State Department released a list of 59 countries and organizations that have made offers since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the South. They include poor countries such as El Salvador, Armenia, the Philippines and India. The list includes countries with which the United States has no relations or poor relations, such as Cuba and Venezuela.
Rice particularly noted that the offers include one from Sri Lanka, which is still recovering from last December's tsunami.
"Recently, we have seen the American people respond generously to help others around the globe during their times of distress, such as during the recent tsunami," Rice said. "Today, we are seeing a similar urgent, warm and compassionate reaction from the international community in response to Katrina."
Rice dismissed charges that Washington's response to Katrina, many of whose victims are black, was inadequate because of racism. "That Americans would somehow in a color-affected way decide who to help and who not to help, I don't believe it," Rice said. "Americans are a very generous people."
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In a twist on the usual flow of international aid, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that the United States has received dozens of offers of aid from other countries on six continents and has not rejected any offer.
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In Katrina's Eye, Visions of America
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Mostly, sympathy abounds. Russia offered cargo planes and rescue helicopters. Cuba's national assembly observed a minute of silence in "sorrow and solidarity." The president of Sri Lanka, recalling the spontaneous U.S. assistance in response to the tsunami nine months ago, sent condolences. So did President Hu Jintao of China. Even the leaders of Old Europe are offering their own emergency oil supplies, even if some substantial portion of the fuel will likely wind up in the tanks of that quintessentially American vehicle, the gas-guzzling SUV.
In an online world, people everywhere feel America's pain, if only because it is their own as well.
In Honduras, El Heraldo (in Spanish) reports that the killer storm threatens to cut off the money sent back by some 25,000 expatriates working in the New Orleans area. In South Africa, the Johannesburg Star laments that the killer storm in America will likely boost local petrol prices internationally. "When the United States of America sneezes," the editors note, " the whole world will catch its cold."
At the same time, more than a few observers seized the opportunity to point out what they see as evidence of America's shortcomings. They discern in the disaster and its agonizing aftermath a reflection of less than admirable U.S. policies such as environmental neglect, imperial hubris and social callousness.
Jurgen Trittin, Germany's environmental minister, wrote an editorial lashing out at President Bush for "closing his eyes" to the dangers of global warming. Spiegel Online, the Web site of a leading German newsweekly, noted Trittin's remarks in an English-language file that was picked up by the Drudge Report, prompting a deluge of patriotic responses, some of which defended American values with unprintable obscenities.
The Washington Post's Craig Whitlock notes the political opportunism lurking behind Trittin's attack. As Germany's hotly contested parliamentary election enters its final weeks, everyone knows that taking potshots at Bush wins votes in Berlin as reliably as mocking the French does in Texas.
The view that America is paying for its neglect of global warming was echoed in a commentary on the German broadcast network Deutsche Welle. The piece asserts the global warming connection as fact: "Even as the damage caused by hurricane Katrina in the US is assessed, the reason for its brutality is already known -- global warming. It underlines yet again there is no alternative to global climate protection."
While such categorical assertions are viewed skeptically by some, says the Sydney Morning Herald, "finance markets have penetrated to the heart of the matter - the effect on the bottom line. Actuaries already expect the cost of natural disasters brought on by global warming to double in the next decade, and are aligning insurance premiums to match."
(Incidentally, Swiss Re, a leading reinsurance firm -- they sell insurance to insurance companies -- expects Katrina will generate $20 billion of insurance claims, according to Swissinfo. )
The global warming rhetoric can be, well, overheated, as The Times of London illustrates with some useful historical evidence.
"Hurricanes follow a 50-year cycle," the editors note. "In the 1950s, thirty-seven tropical storms hit the US, of which ten were major hurricanes. In the 1990s, when fears of climate change began to bite, the US had just nineteen such storms, of which only five were major hurricanes. It is possible, therefore, that we are seeing nature repeat itself."
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In the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina , the world media sees an appalling human tragedy and some lessons for the sole remaining superpower.
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A Sensible Iraqi Constitution
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I've never been a big fan of the Iraqi constitution project. Issues such as federalism and the role of Islam are simply too large and fundamental to be decided this early in Iraq's democratic evolution. It is more appropriately the work of years as Iraqis learn accommodation and tolerance and the other habits of self-government.
I wrote two months ago that forcing a resolution of Iraq's cosmic dilemmas by some arbitrary date could serve only to exacerbate existing divisions. This has indeed happened. Nonetheless, the Iraqi constitution project is a fact. It has produced a document. It goes to referendum on Oct. 15. And all the lamentations and rending of garments over the text are highly overblown.
The idea that it creates an Islamic theocracy is simply false. Its Islamist influence is relatively mild. Chapter One, Article One: "The Republic of Iraq is . . . a democratic, federal, representative [parliamentary] republic." The word Islamic is deliberately and importantly omitted.
More specifically, the rule of sharia is significantly constrained. All constitutions have their "thou shalts" and "thou shalt nots." In America, the Constitution proper says what the government can and should do. The Bill of Rights says what the government cannot and must not do -- impose religion, force confessions, search and seize. It is the "thou shalt nots" that are your protection from tyranny.
The constitution writers in Iraq finessed the question of Islam by posing it as a thou-shalt-not. No law may contradict Islam. But it also says that no law may contradict democratic principles and that the constitution accepts all human rights conventions.
This means that there are two gatekeepers for the passing of any law. Insofar as the constitution is adhered to -- a heretofore dubious assumption in that part of the world -- democratic rights are protected from the imposition of sharia. Establishing a double roadblock to new legislation is an excellent way to launch Iraq's first experiment with limited government.
In any case, the real Gordian issue was never Islam but federalism. The Sunnis object to devolving power away from Baghdad because they happen not to be sitting on oil and have spent the past century plundering everybody else's and turning villages such as Tikrit into monstrous treasure cities with the proceeds. With this constitution, that is going to stop. As it should. The only problematic proposal was for the Shiites to have the right to create a nine-province super-region as autonomous as Kurdistan.
That might establish de facto self-governing entities within the shell of a weak Iraqi central government. So what? The only major objection is that neighboring countries would vigorously reject a fully sovereign Kurdistan or Shiite "south Iraq." However, maintaining the shell of Iraqi sovereignty might mollify the Turks and Saudis and others who would resist outright independence. It might even turn out to be the best possible solution for Iraq's deep religious and ethnic divisions. After all, as one wag said, Iraq was created not by God but by Winston Churchill. And it was not one of his most blessed creations.
Moreover, a Basra-based Shiite super-region was not enshrined in the constitution. It is permitted, but not required. That question will be left to future parliaments. As it should be. Again, the cosmic problems of identity and the distribution of power should be deferred to legitimately elected parliaments as they develop the habits of democracy over time.
In the end, the Sunni representatives walked out. It would have been nice if the Shiites and Kurds had been more accommodating, though to expect such niceness from a majority population that had suffered for 30 years at the hands of a Tikriti gangster regime, rooted in the Sunni minority, is perhaps to expect too much.
Nor have the Sunnis acted in a way that might encourage such niceness. First they boycott the elections that would have given them a real say in the constitution-writing process. Then they support a murderous insurgency that is killing dozens of Shiites and Kurds every day, to say nothing of coalition troops. Then they demand a veto on the proposed constitution. Chutzpah.
We went into Iraq knowing that we were going to overturn the political order. The introduction of democracy would inevitably take power away from the former ruling community -- the 20 percent of the population that ruled with uncommon brutality -- and transfer it to the other 80 percent. That the previously victimized 80 percent should not wish to be held hostage to the political demands of their former oppressors should hardly be a surprise. Nonetheless, they still managed to produce a perfectly reasonable constitutional document that deserves far more respect than it has received from the knee-jerk critics here at home.
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The proposed Iraqi constitution is no recipe for theocracy and deserves far more respect than it has gotten from its knee-jerk U.S. critics.
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Oil Firms Turn Katrina Into Profits, Clinton Says
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SYRACUSE, N.Y., Sept. 2 -- Pressed by constituents alarmed by skyrocketing gasoline prices in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) accused oil companies of manipulating energy markets to enhance profits and decried a lack of national leadership for a plan to free the country from dependence on foreign oil.
"I want to go after the oil companies and the oil speculators and the manipulators of the money, because they're the ones who I think are really behind this," Clinton told an audience in Elmira Heights on Thursday. "You have a hurricane, and all of a sudden you see prices going up like that. That has . . . everything to do with people trying to make money off the backs of this tragedy."
Clinton repeatedly took aim at record profits rolled up by energy giants during the last quarter as crude oil prices have continued to rise. Her rhetoric was at times angry, exasperated, frustrated and passionate. "You just cannot convince me that they are not manipulating this market," she told another audience near Newark, N.Y.
Citing Exxon Mobil Corp.'s record $7.64 billion profit in the past quarter as evidence that the government needs to take action, she said it is time to send a message to the industry that "they're being watched" as consumers deal with rising prices. "If we don't fight Big Oil, this country's going down," she said. "We're not going to have the standard of living and the quality of life, and we're not going to be able to control our future."
Clinton sparred with one constituent who called for a rollback of state and federal gasoline taxes to ease the pain of increases that have pushed prices well above $3 a gallon in many places since the hurricane hit Monday morning. Clinton said that will not solve the problem.
"We can get some temporary relief, but that's not the answer, and we don't have the leadership we need to stand up and fight for what should be the answer and the sacrifices people should be willing to make," she said.
The anxiety and anger felt by motorists was evident at nearly every turn in her travels throughout the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York. She made clear she shared the concern.
"I think it's time to send a clear message to what has become the most profitable sector in our entire economy that they're being watched," she said in explaining her call for an inquiry by the Federal Trade Commission. "I think human nature left to itself is going to push the limit as far as possible, and that's what you need a government regulatory system for: to keep an eye on people to make the rules of the game fair, to make a level playing field and not give anybody some kind of undue advantage."
Clinton criticized the new energy bill, which she opposed, as inadequate to solve the country's long-term energy problem. She said the United States has regressed over the past three decades, since the first oil shocks of the early 1970s. "We've had 30 years to do some things we haven't done," she said. "In fact we've gotten, we've gone backwards in many respects.
"I am tired of being at the mercy of people in the Middle East and elsewhere, and I'm tired frankly of being at the mercy of these large oil companies," Clinton said.
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SYRACUSE, N.Y., Sept. 2 -- Pressed by constituents alarmed by skyrocketing gasoline prices in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) accused oil companies of manipulating energy markets to enhance profits and decried a lack of national leadership for a plan to free...
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Europeans Find Gas Prices Taxing
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PARIS, Sept. 2 -- As they grapple with soaring gas prices in France, Serge Poitevieau, a cafe owner, and Frederique Usher, an unemployed but well-heeled young woman, have dramatically different perspectives and radically different solutions.
Poitevieau, 53, has stopped using his Spanish-made Seat automobile except to make weekend visits to his parents. He said he now gets around mostly on foot. As for France's notoriously high gas tax, "I say bravo," he said, leaning across the bar. "I think they should raise it more to discourage the traffic."
Usher, who declined to give her age but appeared to be in her late twenties, said the French government should abolish the gas tax, which now accounts for more than 70 percent of the pump price -- about $6.77 a gallon for regular unleaded in Paris.
"I'm going to change cars," Usher said as her golf-cart-sized Smart Car was being delivered by a parking lot attendant. "I'm getting the new Lexus hybrid."
Young or old, working class or upper crust, Europeans are being pummeled by skyrocketing gasoline and oil prices, which are up more than 10 percent over last year's prices and are expected to continue climbing as a result of the blow Hurricane Katrina delivered to the U.S. oil industry this week.
But after years of paying four or five times what Americans pay for gas, Europeans have adjusted their transportation habits, switched to cars that are more fuel-efficient and seem resigned to paying ever higher prices while continuing to explore alternatives.
Subway ridership in Rome skyrocketed this summer as Italians abandoned their cars. Germans are reportedly driving across the border into Poland for cheaper gas, while Poles are crossing into Ukraine to buy even lower-priced fuel. London charges commuters and tourists a special tax for driving into the most congested areas of the city. Some European countries levy high taxes on new cars to discourage sales, and road tolls in some regions are prohibitive: Along one stretch of highway in central France, drivers are presented with a $9.25 bill for a trip of about 60 miles.
European governments have required car companies to develop more fuel-efficient automobiles with smaller engines, unlike in the United States, where gas-guzzling SUVs rule the road, said Christopher Alexander Paillard, co-author of the recent book "The Geopolitics of Oil." He and other analysts said the United States has put too much emphasis on increasing the supply of gas and not enough on curbing its consumption.
"There is the hope that because of this terrible hurricane, public opinion in the U.S. and the government might begin to understand that something has to be done on the demand level," said Pierre Terzian, director of Petrostrategies, a Paris firm that publishes a weekly oil and gas newsletter.
For Europeans, the problem is not the skyrocketing cost of oil, but the gas taxes their countries add on, which in many cases account for two-thirds or more of the price of gasoline. For instance, if France did not levy a tax on gasoline, motorists here would pay about $1.98 a gallon for super unleaded, instead of about $7.09 a gallon.
"You can't blame America or the Arabs" for high gas prices, said a man in Paris as he topped off his four-wheel-drive Toyota. "It's because of the taxes. The government thinks that consumers are vache a lait , " or milking cows.
As a result, European cities are crammed with gas-efficient scooters and motorcycles that zigzag between gridlocked cars. In Paris, where it is rare to spot an SUV, some automobiles are so tiny that it is difficult to imagine people fitting inside.
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PARIS, Sept. 2 -- As they grapple with soaring gas prices in France, Serge Poitevieau, a cafe owner, and Frederique Usher, an unemployed but well-heeled young woman, have dramatically different perspectives and radically different solutions.
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The Gasoline Supply
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What is the gas supply situation in the metropolitan area?
With the Labor Day weekend approaching, several stations in the Washington area ran dry Thursday. Some local customers said rising prices prompted them to top off their tanks, contributing to the area's diminishing gas supplies. Longer lines at pumping stations are becoming a common sight.
Some Maryland stations were considering shutting down late Thursday because of problems with a fuel-truck delivery. In West Virginia, stations ran out of gas overnight, only to be saved by a new supply of fuel arriving by truck before the morning rush hour.
Despite a rumor that arose Friday, the Maryland state government is not ordering any gas stations to be closed. "Marylanders can ignore the rumor that the state is closing down gas stations today, or any other day. The rumor is absolutely and entirely untrue," Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) said in a prepared statement.
Some oil companies, including Chevron Corp., have begun rationing the amount of gas they sell to suppliers.
Prices may be highest at the smaller, independent stations that don't have a locked-in corporate supply, which usually have the lowest gas prices, a spokesman for the American Automobile Association said.
Two major pipelines disrupted by Hurricane Katrina that provide much of the Washington area's gasoline showed signs of life Thursday, although it could be days before they are running up to full capacity. Colonial Pipeline Co. said that it was operating at 40 percent of capacity and that it hoped to operate at 61 percent by today and 86 percent by the middle of next week. Officials with the other pipeline, Plantation Pipe Line Co., said the line is operating at 25 percent.
What about the fuel situation beyond the metro area?
Shortages have had profound effects in many areas of the eastern United States that depend on pipelines from the Gulf Coast. Customers in the mountains of North Carolina could buy only premium gasoline because regular had sold out. Some oil companies, including Chevron Corp., have begun rationing the amount of gas they sell to suppliers.
Industry officials said a small-but-growing number of independent gasoline retailers in the Southeast and Midwest may simply turn off their pumps in the days ahead, either because of shortages or because wholesale prices climbed so high so quickly that they cannot compete without selling fuel at a loss.
General Motors yesterday was already blaming Katrina in part for a 16 percent drop in sales in August.
Our Impact on Washington blog has information on the gas situation in the most popular destinations for D.C.-area travelers.
How high are gas prices right now?
Gas prices in the Washington area varied yesterday from as low as $1.08 in rural Maryland to $3.50 in some parts of Bethesda. The average price of gas for the Washington area rose 5 cents, to $2.73, Thursday from $2.68 on Wednesday.
Outside the area, pump prices rose to just under $6 a gallon at some retail outlets in the South on Thursday. Confused drivers in Georgia saw prices that had climbed as high as $5 a gallon suddenly drop back to $3 in the span of 24 hours.
Gas prices jumped by more than 50 cents a gallon Wednesday in Ohio and 30 cents in Maine. In southern Illinois, gas prices at some stations jumped more than 50 cents in less than four hours Thursday morning.
According to GasPriceWatch.com, which tracks retail gas prices around the country using volunteers, average gas prices in the United States were just over $3 a gallon Friday morning.
D.C.-area residents can compare prices among local gas retailers at:
How high are prices likely to go?
Rayola Dougher, manager of energy market issues at the American Petroleum Institute in Washington, said it was too early to tell how long prices would continue to rise and whether they would reach a national average of $4 a gallon because it is unclear how soon normal operations will resume at the refineries and pipelines in the Louisiana area.
White House economic adviser Ben Bernanke predicted gasoline prices would go higher, then drop when supplies are restored. The Consumer Federation of America, which is normally a critic of Big Oil, said Thursday that $3 gasoline was justified, given current market conditions.
Crude oil prices dropped more than $1 a barrel and gasoline futures fell sharply Friday as key U.S. allies discussed releasing supplies from their stockpiles.
What is being done to ensure that prices aren't abusive?
Consumers angered over soaring gas prices made 5,800 calls yesterday to the Energy Department's price-gouging hotline.
Attorneys general in Virginia and Maryland lack the power to prosecute price gougers but can refer suspected incidents to federal agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission. In Georgia, Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) signed an executive order Wednesday authorizing state sanctions against gas stations that gouge consumers. In New Jersey, acting Gov. Richard J. Codey (D) ordered increased state inspections at gas stations for possible price gouging, according to Associated Press.
A statement issued Wednesday indicated that the Virginia government does not consider the gas-supply situation serious enough to warrant an emergency declaration that would prohibit sales of necessary goods and supplies at an "unconscionable price" although Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) has instructed the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to monitor the marketplace.
The Energy Deparment provides a price-gouging report form online. Angry consumers made more than 5,000 calls Thursday to the department's price-gouging hotline.
What about airports and airlines?
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority denied a trade report Wednesday that said Dulles International Airport was one of 10 that could face jet fuel shortages. Dulles and National are supplied by the Colonial and Plantation pipelines, and they have a two-week supply of fuel on hand, the authority said.
However, some airports in the storm-affected areas are either closed or subject to emergency restrictions. Their status can be monitored on the FAA Web site.
But shortages may not be the biggest fuel problem for the nation's airline industry. The premium that refiners charge to turn oil into jet fuel has shot from $3 a barrel at the beginning of the year to $25, pushing the effective price of a barrel of oil to around $95 for the already ailing airlines. Cutthroat competition from new, low-cost airlines continues to prevent carriers from passing all those costs onto consumers. Now, airlines on the brink of bankruptcy, such as Northwest and Delta, could topple, with broad ramifications.
What is the federal government doing?
The Energy Department on Thursday approved three loans of crude oil from the 700 million-barrel Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The department agreed to provide 6 million barrels of oil to Exxon Mobil Corp., 1 million barrels to Placid Refining Co. and 1.5 million barrels to Valero Energy Corp. Also yesterday, the Bush administration relaxed federal rules to allow foreign oil tankers to transport oil from one U.S. port to another. Industry officials said that would help move supplies to areas that need them.
The Bush administration has also relaxed environmental regulations requiring some areas to use special summertime gasoline blends designed to reduce pollution. Oil industry officials said relaxing that rule allowed supplies to be sent to Atlanta yesterday, relieving rapidly rising prices.
The government warned on Thursday that some U.S. refineries shut by Hurricane Katrina may not resume processing oil for several months. Floodwaters and mandatory evacuation orders have prevented some oil firms from assessing damage to their refineries, and other logistical problems have limited their ability to inspect offshore oil platforms.
Thousands of workers who were evacuated must return to their posts, but many of them have no homes to return to. And as long as the region has no electricity, refineries cannot reach full capacity.
But oil analysts and company officials said they expected an increase in imports of gasoline from Europe within two weeks. That could help to bring down prices and ease supply disruptions, they said.
-- Compiled from staff and wire reports and government Internet sites.
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Information about shortages, prices and airports.
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Hurricane Katrina: Gas Prices Soar
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John Townsend , manager of Public and Government Affairs at AAA Mid-Atlantic, will be online Friday, Sept. 2, at 3 p.m. ET to discuss the surge in gas prices as a result of Hurricane Katrina and travel during the Labor Day weekend.
Gas Prices Soar (The Post, Sept. 1)
Spikes and Shortages Go Far Beyond Gas (The Post, Sept. 2)
Anonymous: Are all Maryland gas stations shuttung down today?
John Townsend: During times of national or regional crisis, rumors spread more quickly than the truth. Given the current crisis stemming from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, there is a greater sense of hopelessness when things appear to be spiraling out of control. However, this is shut another rumor.
On the other hand, there are reports in the media that some stations are closing early to avoid shortage.
Despite the trying circumstances, you should be any to find plenty of gasoline. However, you might not like the price that you will pay for the increasingly precious commodity. Thanks.
Washington, D.C.: For months, President Bush -- sometimes laughingly -- has said that there's nothing he can do about high gas prices. Is this the absolute truth?
John Townsend: To alleviate any shortages of gasoline across the country, President Bush recently ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to grant a nationwide waiver for fuel blends to make more gasoline and diesel fuel available. This move will make more gasoline available to consumers. This was a wise move. It will help to make sure that there is plenty of supply out there.
In addition, the president also recently authorized release of crude supplies from the Strategic Petroleum Reserves. This move will help to calm consumers' anxiety.
AAA Mid-Atlantic applauds both decisions.
It behooves all of us to conserve during these difficult days in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Though there are spot shortage in various parts of the nation, all in all, we are still in good shape because gas is in good supply. There is no reason for people in our region to panic.
Baltimore to N.C.: I am heading to N.C. this evening. I am slightly afraid that I will run out of gas and not be able to make the drive at any price of gas. How likely do you think it is for the gas stations along 95S to run out of gas?
John Townsend: As FDR once famously said, we have nothing to fear but fear itself. This is especially true in this situation. Although things appear dire, and in several senses they are, you will have plenty of gasoline to make your trip to New York.
Just a moment ago, the governor of the state of Maryland issued a statement saying that the supply of gasoline in the state is robust and more than enough to meet our needs for the next two weeks.
We also just gotten reports about the supply situation in Virginia. While it was tight in Richmond yesterday, things are robust today. Everything is in flux, but you will make your trip with confidence and courage. The only thing you have to worry about is the price, which is increasing sharply, even as we chat.
Crofton, Md.: Will there be gas rationing in the Maryland area, and if so, how soon will it begin?
John Townsend: As I indicated, the governor has just announced that the supply picture in Maryland is good. It is enough to cover us for the next two weeks or so, if people remain calm and refuse to panic. Things are in good shape in Maryland. There is little reason to ration gasoline in the state at this juncture.
Fort Myers, Fla.: When a gasoline vendor ups the price of gas by one or two dollars a gallon overnight, isn't that presumptively considered to be price gouging?
After all, the vendors already paid for the gas in his tanks, and his cost basis hasn't changed a whit.
I consider this gouging to be the moral equivalent of looting, with the notable exception being that no argument of necessity can be advanced in favor of gouging.
John Townsend: Your moral equation is on target. Every time gasoline prices skyrocket, consumers become increasingly concerned about gouging. It is not only morally wrong, it is mean-spirited. Since time immemorial men and women have tried to exploit people. A crisis situation brings out the worst in humanity and the best in the human soul.
If anyone is guilty of this he should be brought to justice. The offices of the attorneys general in the state of Maryland and Virginia have been flooded with calls from consumers alleging price gouging. Those calls have been transmitted to federal officials, who have promised to look into the situation.
Sadly, there are people who always try to take advantage of others. You are correct. It is morally wrong. Fortunately, 19 states have passed laws preventing this type of activity in the aftermath of a crisis. However, neither Maryland nor Virginia have passed such laws.
Although prices are rising rapidly, it is hard to tell if the vendors and service stations are merely passing on their prices -- which are now higher -- or taking advantage of the situation. At this juncture, it appears to be the latter and not the former.
Thank you for being ever so watchful.
Arlington, Va.: I have heard a rumor that gas deliveries, slated for the D.C. area, are being routed south to help in the recovery effort and that we are beginning to experience shortages here.
John Townsend: We should be in good shape. At this juncture we have not heard those reports.
Bethesda, Md.: John, will you please educate people on what's going on here? It is Economics 101, which apparently people haven't taken.
You take 10 percent of the supply of gas out, keep the demand the same, and what happens? The price of gas will go up.
Now, I don't like paying the prices I'm paying right now, and I've got a gas guzzling sports car. But I'm getting sick and tired of having to explain to people that this is not price gouging, it is simply Economics 101 at work.
John Townsend: Dear Bethesda: Apparently you were not nodding off in your Econ 101 class. You have hit the nail on the head. The hurricane hit at ground zero of our refining process and our distribution network. Lives have been lost. For many people in the gulf states, their lives have been completely shattered. Their world has been turned upside down.
It is like a atomic bomb has been dropped on our gas supply network. In light of this horrific situation, prices will increase. The laws of supply and demand are at work.
It is as simple as that.
Thanks for your mastery of economic theory.
Springfield, Va.: I don't understand the recent spike in prices. Has the hurricane really affected prices so quickly. In the past week prices have gone up $.50. The station across the street went up $.18 just today. What gives? Also, what can we do to make sure there isn't gouging going on?
The current situation is borne of two forces. Nature and human behavior. Hurricane Katrina struck at the heart our refining and delivery system
We currently have an imbalance in supply-demand for gasoline in parts of the United States due to refinery and pipeline outages caused by Hurricane Katrina having reduced supply.
The second factor contributing to this is human nature. Panic buying actually increases demand, further stretching this imbalance. We encourage everyone to avoid panicking.
As bad as things are, they could be worse.
The refineries will be back up and running soon. That's amazingly good news.
There is no need to panic, which will make matters worse.
Keep your courage up and encourage others. We will get through this. That's a promise.
Arlington, Va.: Are some states cheaper than others? I have to travel through northern Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey tonight (along the I-95 corridor) and I was wondering which state might give me the best prices to fill up my tank.
Some states are indeed cheaper than others. Virginia traditionally is one of the most inexpensive places to buy gasoline in the country. So to is New Jersey. But in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the prices have skyrocketed.
The current price in New Jersey is $2.81. The state average in Virginia is a penny higher at $2.82.
The current average price in Washington, D.C. is $2.87, which is the mirror image of this morning's national average, which is also $2.87.
The cost of a gallon of gasoline soared 16 cents to a new price record of $2.89 in the Washington metro, according to this morning's Daily Fuel Gauge Report from AAA Mid-Atlantic.
Realizing this, it is safe for you to make the trip, that is if you go with the understanding that you will face higher prices at the pump.
Enjoy your travels and shop for gas with your steering wheel.
Washington, D.C.: For the Economics 101, sure Katrina is making things worse BUT gas prices were rising before, so what's the explanation for that?
John Townsend: Dear Washington, D.C.
It seems to defy an answer, or an easy one.
But you are 100 percent correct, prices were rising rapidly before we even heard of a hurricane named Katrina.
For example, the price of a gallon of gasoline in the Washington metro region jumped 35 cents during the period from August 8th to August 22. The price record was broken 11 times in August before Katrina became a factor in the current situation.
The same is true during July. The price record was broken nearly a dozen times in Washington, D.C., which is one of the most profitable markets in the nation to sell gasoline.
The reasons are many: the rising price of crude which has been flirting with record prices all summer long; the increased demand during the dog days of summer -- late July and early August.
Prices have jumped more than a dollar since this time last year. We are not only suffering from sticker shock, we all have the sneaky suspicion that someone is taking advantage of us. We have been over the barrel all year and, as consumers, we don't like it a bit.
Yet we have heard nothing from our national and political leaders until now.
At long last, the voices of the consumers are been heard. It took a crisis for official Washington to hear it.
Thanks for speaking up and out. You will be heard.
Rosslyn, Va.: Not every price increase is an understandable function of economics. Some simply ARE price gouging.
It is our hope that they will be brought to justice. We are tracking reports of stations charging exorbitant prices. I would appreciate you sending up the information on the stations that you suspect of price gouging. We will expose them and ask for an investigation.
Falls Church, Va.: I sat through Econ 101 and a bunch more econ/finance classes, but supply and demand being what they are, if supply is cut 10 percent, why is gas up 30 percent? If anything, demand should be even, I'd guess -- people driving less balancing out people starting to hoard it.
John Townsend: Dear Falls Church:
We have all seen reports of stations in certain pockets of the country that are charging and raising prices to five dollars or more. Chances are, it is not justified.
However, for the most part, the typical increase is 40 to 80 cents in the Washington metro area. None of us like those kinds of increases and they bother us to the hilt. They, or should I speak collectively, we ought to outraged by this, if the reports prove true.
I would encourage you to also contact the attorney general in the state of Virginia with the specific details. It is a way of fighting back.
Thanks for sounding the clarion call.
Richmond, Va.: I've seen several people filling up red plastic containers with gasoline, but it seems dangerous to travel with these in the trunk of your car. We're planning a trip south to Charleston this weekend -- would it be prudent to carry with us one of these filled containers?
It is not prudent at all. It is potentially dangerous. It would do little to solve a shortage problem. You could not carry enough gas in those red plastic containers. Think about what would happen if a spark went off in your vehicle. It would be a disaster. Why would anyone put himself or his or her family in harm's way?
Filling those containers to avoid running out, contributes to the problem. It creates a sense of panic.
There are others ways of conserving gasoline.
We advise everyone to shop for the lowest gas price with your steering wheel. It's out there and you can find it. The supply situation is under control.
As we have save before and this is true wisdom for these trying time: practice good vehicle maintenance by making certain tires are properly inflated, the air filter is clean, the engine and chassis are properly lubricated and spark plugs are in good condition.
Finally, let cooler heads prevail.
We will make it through this.
John Townsend: We have to wrap it up now. I thank you for participating and I thank you for your insightful comments and observations and your sharp and thoughtful questions.
If you are traveling this holiday weekend, drive safely, stay calm, watch for the cheapest price around, on some blocks there can be as much as a 10 to 30 cent difference in price.
Remember, at the end of the day, say a prayer for the people in the Gulf states who have lost everything. It may take a decade for them to recover. Some of them will never recover. That perspective will empower us to cope with this. We will survive, high prices and all. That's what counts in the cosmic scheme of things.
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.
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John Townsend, manager of public and government affairs at AAA Mid-Atlantic, will be online to discuss the surge in gas prices as a result of Hurricane Katrina and travel during the Labor Day weekend.
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Specter Likely to Be The Lightning Rod
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Conservatives who have bridled at Arlen Specter's 25-year Senate career figured they finally had the Pennsylvania Republican hemmed in this summer, as he prepared to chair the first Supreme Court confirmation hearing in 11 years.
The proudly independent and unpredictable moderate had inflamed the political right by opposing Robert H. Bork in 1987, and he rekindled the fire last fall by suggesting that a strongly antiabortion nominee might not win Senate confirmation. The ensuing uproar forced him to humbly promise party fealty to keep his new post as Judiciary Committee chairman. Surely, Republican activists concluded, he would feel constrained and circumspect in chairing the hearing for John G. Roberts Jr., which opens Tuesday.
In fact, Specter's maverick streak appears as strong as ever. He has signaled plans to ask the nominee pointed questions, and he endorsed a Democratic call for the Bush administration to release more documents related to Roberts. Moreover, Specter says he will use the hearing as a forum to rebuke the current Supreme Court -- particularly conservative Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist -- for "insulting" Congress in rulings in which Roberts played no role.
Although Specter is battling Hodgkin's disease at age 75 and is approaching a well-publicized hearing that could loom large in his political legacy, his penchant for unorthodox stands and surprising tactics seems undiminished, according to scholars who watch him.
"He's one of the most interesting senators of our time," says Cass R. Sunstein, a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago. "The fact that the right was so concerned about him as head of the Judiciary Committee made many people think he'd be very careful in scrutinizing Bush's appointees. But I guess he has proved unpredictable once again."
While Senate hearings can take unforeseen turns, lawmakers and activists doubt that the Roberts nomination will feature the brand of fireworks ignited by Bork -- who was rejected -- or Clarence Thomas, who was narrowly confirmed after Anita Hill accused him of sexual harassment. Given Roberts's deliberately bland demeanor, some of the more entertaining or dramatic moments could come from the mercurial chairman, who combines an incisive legal mind with an almost puckish pleasure in annoying and surprising the political left and right.
In a recent interview, Specter said his goal "is to have a dignified hearing which will give insights into Judge Roberts's jurisprudence, and to get an idea of his thinking on questions like respect for precedent . . . and his views on congressional authority."
No one doubts that Specter will tolerate tough questions more readily than would his predecessor, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), a staunch conservative who once rebuked a committee Democrat for posing "dumb-ass questions" to Roberts at a 2003 appellate court confirmation hearing. Specter makes no apologies for planning probing questions on a range of constitutional issues. "If you don't assert yourself when you're confirming them," he said, there is no chance to do so later.
Specter proudly notes that he has been called "a senator who had managed in two Supreme Court confirmations to alienate the entire electorate." His 2000 autobiography recounts how he infuriated Rehnquist with persistent questions in 1986, and angered President Ronald Reagan by telling him he would not support his policy of backing Nicaraguan contra rebels.
Specter's prickliness and different-drummer tendencies occasionally land him in political scrapes. Some colleagues snickered when he cited "Scottish law" in voting "not proven" at President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial. His fierce interrogation of Hill angered many women in 1991, and he narrowly defeated a female challenger in his election the next year. Hard-core conservatives, long irked by Specter's support of legalized abortion, minimum-wage increases and other measures, backed Pat Toomey's stiff challenge in last year's GOP Senate primary, which Specter survived with President Bush's help.
He had another close call last November when he spent two weeks scrambling -- some said groveling -- to save his new chairmanship after his comments about antiabortion nominees facing difficult confirmations. He promised, in writing, to give Bush's judicial nominees "quick committee hearings and early committee votes."
To some, the cocky senator appeared cut down to size. But anyone who thought Specter would be cowed or bashful in the Roberts confirmation process has been disappointed. Those who know him best are not surprised.
"Arlen Specter is unflappable," said former senator Alan K. Simpson (R-Wyo.), a colleague for 18 years. "You can't frighten him, you can't spook him." He said Specter has a credo that Simpson believes has helped him overcome cancer and political challenges alike. "He told me, 'Never let your face show how hard they're kicking your ass,' " Simpson said.
In the interview, Specter said his November promise in no way constrains him from questioning Roberts closely and running the hearing as he sees fit. "The president and I have discussed this directly, what he views as the chairman's role," Specter said. As for the hearing's aftermath, he said that "it'd be grossly inappropriate to make a commitment on votes under any circumstance."
Specter's most surprising move in preparing for the hearing came on Aug. 8, when he used a letter to Roberts to assail the current Supreme Court on matters in which the nominee had no hand. "Members of Congress are irate about the Court's denigrating and, really, disrespectful statement's about Congress's competence," Specter wrote. A similar letter on Aug. 23 raised concerns about "the Supreme Court's judicial activism which has usurped Congressional authority."
While Specter told Roberts to expect questions on the subject, he acknowledges using the high-visibility hearing to champion a pet cause that has stirred relatively little comment outside academic circles. "This is our one opportunity to really try to exercise some influence, in a perfectly appropriate way, on the balance of power," he said.
Specter is criticizing the current court -- and Rehnquist, in particular -- for several rulings in recent years that concluded Congress had not justified laws with facts and research. One such case -- United States v. Morrison in 2000, stemming from a college rape case -- struck down a portion of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act.
In passing the law, Congress invoked its powers to regulate interstate commerce and determined that assault victims should be able to sue their assailants in federal court. Lawmakers conducted four years of hearings, and concluded that states were not dealing adequately with violent crimes against women.
The Supreme Court's 5 to 4 decision rejected Congress's findings and its "method of reasoning," which angered Specter. He told Roberts he will ask him, "Is there any real justification for the court's denigrating Congress's 'method of reasoning'?"
To University of Virginia law professor G. Edward White, "the whole exercise seems grandstanding on Specter's behalf. Roberts has not, of course, been involved with any of those decisions."
But University of North Carolina law professor William P. Marshall says Specter has seized a serious issue ripe for greater scrutiny, especially if the questioning of Roberts proves less than scintillating. "It's somewhat surprising that Congress hasn't gotten more annoyed" by rulings such as Morrison, Marshall said . "By talking about these issues, I suppose he is steering the nomination to an area that some would call conservative judicial activism" by the Rehnquist-led court.
If so, conservative activists may consider it another black mark on Specter's handling of Supreme Court nominations.
The senator, meanwhile, says it is too early to discuss his legacy, and aides say he talks -- seriously or not -- of running for another six-year term in 2010. But some academics and analysts are pondering his legacy now, and Harvard law professor Laurence H. Tribe says Specter's focus on the Supreme Court's differences with Congress may be a smart move.
"Specter's stature and his place in history," Tribe said in an e-mail comment, "may well turn on how well he uses this unusual opportunity to showcase the Constitution rather than the personalities of the Judiciary Committee members."
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Latest politics news headlines from Washington DC. Follow 2004 elections, campaigns, Democrats, Republicans, political cartoons, opinions from The Washington Post. Features government policy, government tech, political analysis and reports.
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After the Deluge, New Orleans's Mayor Nagin Stands His Ground
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His city is under water. There's no electricity, no water to drink. Broken gas lines cause flames to erupt from filthy floodwaters. Mobs loot stores and exchange shots with police. Hungry people fight over food. Dead bodies float through the streets while the living huddle on rooftops, awaiting rescue.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin stares at the apocalyptic wreckage of his city from a window in his makeshift command post in the Hyatt hotel, which sits across a flooded street from City Hall. His wife and three children have been evacuated. He has sent most of his staff to higher ground in Baton Rouge. But he remains behind, like a captain determined to stay with his sinking ship.
"He's gonna be there until this thing turns around," says Don Hutchinson, the mayor's director of economic development, speaking on a cell phone from Baton Rouge. "He's showing the leadership a mayor should show."
He's not a politician, not really. Nagin, 49, was a cable TV executive at Cox Communications, a man with no previous political experience, when he beat out 14 candidates to win election as mayor in 2002. Back then, he was a fresh face in New Orleans politics, a young guy with a shaved head who promised to clean up a corrupt city.
"Ninety-five percent of the time, it's the greatest job in the world," he told New Orleans magazine in 2004, "and 5 percent, it's the highest pain you could ever imagine."
Back then, he could not possibly have imagined the pain he is witnessing in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history.
"My heart is heavy tonight," he said Monday, sitting in the studio of WWL-TV in New Orleans. Dressed in a white T-shirt topped with what looked like an unbuttoned police or firefighter's shirt, he ticked off a list of problems in his slow Nawlins drawl -- "80 percent of the city is under water . . . we have an oil tanker that has run aground that is leaking oil . . . you see flames sparking up from the water . . . we have buildings that look like a bazooka was shot through them."
With the TV lights gleaming off his head, he summed up the scene: "It's really kind of a surreal situation, like a nightmare that I hope we'll wake up from."
That was Monday night. Since then, things have only gotten worse. Yesterday at the New Orleans Convention Center, where more than 15,000 people have taken refuge, corpses lay out in the open and mobs angered by a lack of food and water battled with police.
"This is a desperate SOS," Nagin said in a statement released to the media. "Currently, the Convention Center is unsanitary and unsafe and we are running out of supplies for 15,000 or 20,000 people."
In the halls of the Hyatt yesterday morning, the mayor was mobbed by citizens demanding to know when they could go home, when normal life would resume.
"You need to listen very carefully," Nagin told them, according to the Associated Press. "For the next two or three months, in this area, there will not be any commerce, at all. No electricity, no restaurants. This is the real deal. It's not living conditions."
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His city is under water. There's no electricity, no water to drink. Broken gas lines cause flames to erupt from filthy floodwaters. Mobs loot stores and exchange shots with police. Hungry people fight over food. Dead bodies float through the streets while the living huddle on rooftops, awaiting...
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Rebuilding, Without Financial Records
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As tens of thousands of families and businesses struggle to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, many of them will find themselves not only without homes, cars and other possessions but also without the paper and perhaps even electronic records and resources fundamental to the working of American life and commerce.
For many, the entire economic structure on which they are accustomed to running their lives has been torn away. How do you get a credit card bill, let alone pay it, when your house is gone, your very address is gone, your bank's offices are gone?
At least in the short run, though, government agencies including the Internal Revenue Service, mortgage companies such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and even some credit card issuers are offering relief to those hurt by Katrina.
The IRS, for example, has extended various deadlines, such as that for estimated tax payments normally due Sept. 15, until Oct. 31 and has waived late-filing or late-payment penalties that would otherwise apply. An agency spokesman said the IRS has set up a task force to try to work out other forms of assistance that might benefit taxpayers in the afflicted areas.
The U.S. Postal Service is focusing on getting Social Security checks to recipients and has set up mobile facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi "for people to be able to come and get their Social Security checks," USPS spokesman Gerry McKiernan said. The USPS is also setting up a "New Orleans" post office at the Astrodome in Houston, where many hurricane refugees have been taken, McKiernan said.
The Social Security Administration is also allowing beneficiaries, many of whom are far from their mailing addresses, to go to any local Social Security office, verify their identities and receive checks on the spot.
Electronic direct deposit should have been uninterrupted, SSA spokesman Mark Lassiter said, but beneficiaries who are unable to get to their banks or are without debit cards can also get immediate payment from a local Social Security office.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have both said they are offering relief to homeowners hit by the storm. Freddie Mac is also expediting release of insurance proceeds, on which mortgage holders normally have a claim, so that homeowners will have money to begin repairs.
Both companies said relief will be offered case by case. Neither company issues mortgages, but both buy billions of dollars in mortgages from loan originators and thus have authority to ease payment terms on those loans. Borrowers need to contact their servicers, which can usually be identified from payment coupons or other documents concerning payments, and ask who owns their loans and whether relief is available.
Credit card issuers are not required to grant relief -- "It's really up to individual banks," said Sharon Gamsin of MasterCard Inc. -- but in disasters, many have.
Capital One Financial Corp. of McLean said it has "put our emergency services into action which includes some flexible payment options" for cardholders. The company said it is also looking for alternate ways of communicating with customers whose mail cannot be delivered.
David Robertson, publisher of the Nilson Report, which covers the industry, said card companies granted relief after the recent Florida hurricanes and find it in their interest to do so.
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Troops Head Home To Another Crisis
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BAGHDAD, Sept. 1 -- The 3,700 Louisiana National Guard members in Iraq will begin heading home within about a week as part of normal troop rotations, but there are no mass Guard movements back to the United States planned to aid hurricane relief, U.S. military officials in Baghdad said Thursday.
"Everyone we have here, and every piece of equipment we have here, is needed here," said Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, senior spokesman for U.S. forces in Iraq.
Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case humanitarian basis to allow Guard members whose families have been hit especially hard by Hurricane Katrina to return, Lynch said.
With thousands of National Guard troops serving tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Guard retaining fewer members at home, officials in the United States have acknowledged that the scale of the destruction along the Gulf Coast is stretching their stateside manpower. Wisconsin agreed Wednesday to send 500 Guard troops to Louisiana to help make up for the shortfall.
After nearly a year in Baghdad, Louisiana's 256th Mechanized Infantry Brigade is due to return fully to the United States by November, military officials said.
A National Guard brigade from Mississippi, the other state hit hardest by Katrina, has served since January in the region south of Baghdad.
The area was known in 2004 as the Triangle of Death, because of the frequency of insurgent attacks there.
The Iraq deployments have taken more than a third of the Guard members of both states, officials said.
Military officials here acknowledged that the Louisiana Guard members faced the prospect of returning from draining, dangerous duty in Iraq and launching quickly into a hurricane relief effort that is expected to last months.
The first Louisiana Guard members are expected to return "within a week or so," said Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, another U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad. Their availability for disaster relief would be at the discretion of Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, Boylan told the Associated Press.
Louisiana Guard members in Baghdad were trading news on their home towns and their families, sharing it by word of mouth as soon as they received it, said 1st Sgt. Errol Williams, whose home is just outside New Orleans. Word was reaching Guard members by Red Cross messages, and by Internet and cell phones when the state of communications in storm-devastated Louisiana and war-devastated Baghdad allowed, Williams said.
Williams said his wife evacuated to North Carolina ahead of Katrina with their 10-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. The rest of his family found shelter with relatives in Texas, he said.
Word from neighbors in Louisiana led Williams to believe he had about four feet of water in his home, he said. But a Web camera in his wife's temporary storm home enabled him to wave to his children on Wednesday night, he said.
The 3-year-old is "ready for daddy to come home," Williams said Thursday night in Baghdad, "wherever home is."
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3,700 Louisiana National Guard members in Iraq are due to start heading home within about a week as part of normal troop rotations, but no mass Guard movements back to the United States are planned to aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, U.S. military officials say.
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Critics Say Bush Undercut New Orleans Flood Control
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President Bush repeatedly requested less money for programs to guard against catastrophic storms in New Orleans than many federal and state officials requested, decisions that are triggering a partisan debate over administration priorities at a time when the budget is strained by the Iraq war.
Even with full funding in recent years, none of the flood-control projects would have been completed in time to prevent the swamping of the city, as Democrats yesterday acknowledged. But they said Bush's decision to hold down spending on fortifying levees around New Orleans reflected a broader shuffling of resources -- to pay for tax cuts and the Iraq invasion -- that has left the United States more vulnerable.
The complaints showed how the Hurricane Katrina disaster is prompting the same recriminations that surround nearly all subjects in the capital's current angry mood. The reaction was in contrast to the response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when for a season partisan politics was largely suspended and Bush had the backing of the opposition party.
A main point of controversy hinges on what until now were obscure decisions in the annual budget process, marked by routine tensions between agencies and local congressional delegations on one side and White House budget officials on the other.
In recent years, Bush repeatedly sought to slice the Army Corps of Engineers' funding requests to improve the levees holding back Lake Pontchartrain, which Katrina smashed through, flooding New Orleans. In 2005, Bush asked for $3.9 million, a small fraction of the request the corps made in internal administration deliberations. Under pressure from Congress, Bush ultimately agreed to spend $5.7 million. Since coming to office, Bush has essentially frozen spending on the Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for protecting the coastlines, waterways and other areas susceptible to natural disaster, at around $4.7 billion.
As recently as July, the White House lobbied unsuccessfully against a plan to spend $1 billion over four years to rebuild coastlines and wetlands, which serve as buffers against hurricanes. More than half of that money goes to Louisiana.
At the same time, the president has reorganized government to prepare for possible terrorist attacks, folding emergency-response agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency into the Department of Homeland Security. Bush said government functions needed to be streamlined to allow for better communications among agencies and speedier responses to terrorist attacks and other crises.
"Flood control has been a priority of this administration from Day One," said White House press secretary Scott McClellan, adding that the administration in recent years has dedicated a total of $300 million for flood control in the New Orleans area. Beyond that, he dismissed questions about specific projects as mere partisan sniping. "This is not a time for finger-pointing or playing politics," McClellan said.
The Corps of Engineers, which worked closely with White House officials on its response, went to the defense of the administration, denying that additional money would have made a difference this week because the defenses of New Orleans were designed to withstand a Category 3 storm, not a Category 4 hurricane such as Katrina. "It was not a funding issue," said Carol Sanders, the chief spokeswoman for the corps. "It's an issue of the design capabilities of these projects."
But a growing number of Democrats are pointing to stalled relief efforts, substandard flood protection systems and the slow pace of getting military personnel to the hardest-hit areas as evidence of a distracted government.
"It is hard to say, but it is true: There was a failure by [Bush] to meet the responsibility here," said Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.). "Somebody needs to say it."
Is the National Guard "depleted because so many Guard are in Iraq that we don't have the opportunity to activate civil control?" asked Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.). "That question has to be asked." Almost one in three National Guardsmen in Louisiana is serving in Iraq or war-related efforts, according to the National Guard.
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President Bush repeatedly requested less money for programs to guard against catastrophic storms in New Orleans than many federal and state officials requested, decisions that are triggering a partisan debate over administration priorities in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
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Lawyers Join Chorus Opposed To Roberts
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A group of lawyers added their voices yesterday to complaints earlier this week from various advocacy organizations about the nomination of John G. Roberts Jr. to serve on the Supreme Court, alleging in a joint letter that Roberts lacks appreciation for "the important role that an independent judiciary plays in safeguarding individual rights and enforcing legal protections."
The letter, addressed to the Senate Judiciary Committee and signed by 160 law school professors, was distributed by the Alliance for Justice, the umbrella organization for liberal advocacy groups that formally declared its opposition to Roberts's nomination on Tuesday.
The signers included 16 professors from four law schools in the capital region and one professor from Harvard Law School, Roberts's alma mater. They criticized the nominee's work in the Reagan administration as well as his decisions since 2003 from the federal appellate bench, arguing that he has sought to expand the powers of the president and law enforcement authorities while weakening protections for individual rights.
Roberts's confirmation hearing is set to start Tuesday, and a list of planned witnesses -- disclosed yesterday by the panel's Republican members -- suggests that the criticism was anticipated. On the list are three conservative law professors and two political appointees to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
The senatorial presenters for Roberts will be John W. Warner (R-Va.) and those elected from Indiana, Roberts's home state, Evan Bayh (D) and Richard G. Lugar (R). Republicans are planning for six separate panels of supporting testimony, with three slots on those panels listed in the announcement yesterday as "not yet confirmed."
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Latest politics news headlines from Washington DC. Follow 2004 elections, campaigns, Democrats, Republicans, political cartoons, opinions from The Washington Post. Features government policy, government tech, political analysis and reports.
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MS-13 Gang Member Guilty of Federal Charges in N.Va. Slaying
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A member of the Mara Salvatrucha street gang pleaded guilty yesterday to federal charges that included the slaying of a Herndon teenager, marking the first conviction in a regionwide effort to target the violent gang using broad federal racketeering laws.
Osmin Heriberto Alfaro-Fuentes admitted that he was involved in the May 2004 slaying of Jose Sandoval, 17, a killing that heightened awareness of the Washington area's growing problem with such gangs as Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13.
Alfaro-Fuentes said he and fellow MS-13 member Alirio Reyes confronted Sandoval and a 16-year-old female companion on a Herndon street. When they realized Sandoval was a member of a rival gang, Reyes shot and killed Sandoval and shot and wounded the girl, Alfaro-Fuentes said.
"The rules in MS-13 are that if you face a member of a rival gang, there has to be a fight and there may even be a death," Alfaro-Fuentes said as he pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. A large tattoo, reading "MS" in large green letters, was emblazoned across his forehead.
Law enforcement officials said Alfaro-Fuentes is the first MS-13 member convicted in the Washington region on federal racketeering charges, which have long been used to combat more traditional organized crime but are increasingly being employed nationwide against violent street gangs. Federal prosecutors in Maryland charged 19 MS-13 members last week with racketeering counts, the first such case brought there, after a surge of gang violence.
Yesterday's plea requires Alfaro-Fuentes's cooperation with prosecutors, and he could provide significant information about MS-13's organization and structure.
Reflecting the potential danger Alfaro-Fuentes faces, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III ordered that he be housed in prison away from other members of the gang. "He can't be put in the same area with any MS-13 members," Ellis said.
Alfaro-Fuentes is expected to testify against Reyes, who has pleaded not guilty. Alan Yamamoto, an attorney for Reyes, said his client "denies being there" when Sandoval was shot and "denies being any part of this." He said Reyes plans to go to trial.
Alfaro-Fuentes, who pleaded guilty to one count of murder in aid of racketeering, faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 9. The crime carries a potential death sentence, but Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales decided not to pursue the death penalty, law enforcement officials said.
Sandoval and the girl were shot as they walked in the area of Cavalier Drive and Park Avenue in Herndon. Court documents say that Alfaro-Fuentes questioned Sandoval about his gang affiliation and that Sandoval said he was a member of the Los Angeles-based 18th Street gang, the chief rival of MS-13. Reyes then shot the pair with a .38-caliber weapon, the documents say.
The girl, who was shot in the back and hospitalized for 10 days, told investigators that the man who fired the shot was on a bicycle and had "MS" tattooed across his forehead, authorities have said. A second man was on foot.
Less than a week earlier, a gang-related machete attack on a 16-year-old boy occurred in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County. Collectively, the episodes triggered a flurry of interest from politicians and led to more law enforcement task forces and increased anti-gang education efforts in the region.
Alfaro-Fuentes and Reyes were indicted on racketeering and other counts in December.
The federal racketeering statute, known as the RICO law, was enacted by Congress in 1970 to give law enforcement a powerful tool against the Mafia. For several decades, it was used primarily to bring down organized crime leaders by convicting them of being part of broad criminal enterprises.
But in recent years, authorities have used racketeering laws to successfully prosecute street gang members from Los Angeles to Utah. The charges against Alfaro-Fuentes and Reyes were the first time the statutes had been used in Virginia.
Court documents filed with yesterday's plea characterize MS-13, which has its roots in El Salvador and Los Angeles, as a broad criminal enterprise. MS-13 members travel throughout the United States to attend gang meetings, wire money across state lines for gang-related purposes and engage in crimes ranging from homicide to assault and auto theft, the documents say.
The court papers say Alfaro-Fuentes was involved in the killing of Sandoval to increase his "status" within the gang.
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A member of the Mara Salvatrucha street gang pleaded guilty yesterday to federal charges that included the slaying of a Herndon teenager, marking the first conviction in a regionwide effort to target the violent gang using broad federal racketeering laws.
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A Blog by Any Other Name...
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"I really like reading your blog," a reader recently wrote to me.
There must be some mistake, I thought. Random Access is a column.
Well, a column or blog is in the eye of the reader. I've gotten plenty of praise and scorn for things I've written about in this space, but the name for this daily publication tends to vary depending on who's writing. I have a blog, a column, a daily article, a story...
To me it's all the same. Some days this column comments on news that shows up in other publications. On others, all the reporting is my own. Sometimes, like today, I dispense with the reporting and just ramble.
Writing about what defines a blog brings me around to fulfilling a promise I made to a reader more than a month ago. Ryan Sholin, a journalism graduate student at San Jose State University, took issue with a column I wrote last month about the former Boston Herald sports columnist who was fired from his teaching post at Boston University after writing online about his heavy-duty attraction to a young female student in his class.
I rounded up some of the news about the columnist and tied it together with the headline, "Don't Blog So Close to Me." It's catchy, or as Sholin wrote in his blog, "juicy." No argument there. We both liked the headline.
The problem, Sholin pointed out, is that the professor wasn't blogging. On July 20th, Sholin wrote on his blog: "The Washington Post doesn't know a blog from a message board." He added: "By calling this a 'blog,' MacMillan stamps this sordid little episode with a certain stigma -- throw in blogging vs. journalism and 'should educators blog?' ... This is misinformation that plays up a few recent articles on the 'dangers' of blogging, playing to a crowd waiting for people speaking their minds to put their feet in their mouths. Mr. MacMillan, what if a blogger started referring to you as someone who wrote a column in the local newsletter called The Washington Post? What would your reaction be?"
I don't know. Indifference, I guess.
But perhaps not. Sholin got me thinking. I made a mistake; he is right. It's a message board, not a blog.
That immediately led to another conclusion: Big deal, what's the difference? Sholin and I wrote back and forth, and he published excerpts online. Here's a point and counterpoint from that exchange.
Sholin: "However, you still stamped [the professor] with the stigma of 'blogger' as opposed to 'guy spouting off on a message board.' If he had said these things in a chat room on AOL, wouldn't there be a different stigma attached? Different media come with different baggage: do you write for a daily newspaper or an alternative weekly? There's a difference, right?"
Me: "I maintain that for the readers, one is as good as another, especially as the meanings of these terms undergo a constant metamorphosis, regardless of how people define these ever-evolving platforms."
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In an ever-evolving Internet, is it truly possible to say what "blogging" is?
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After Gaza
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ISRAEL HAS completed its evacuation of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank far more quickly and easily than virtually anyone -- including the government of Ariel Sharon -- expected. There were wrenching moments as Israeli soldiers forced families from their homes, and tense ones as they dislodged militant protesters who congregated in synagogues. But no lives were lost, and the removal was completed in one-third the time expected. For that outcome, Israelis and Palestinians can thank the professionalism of the Israeli army; the Palestinian Authority should also be credited for helping to prevent what could have been ruinous attacks by militants. Above all the withdrawal is a tribute to Israeli democracy: proof that the majority can adopt and implement painful decisions and not be stopped by extremists.
The Gaza example will be vital as Israelis consider the future of their state, which sooner or later will have to contemplate a similar pullback from the West Bank. Jewish settlers there -- particularly those who live beyond the border-like system of fences and walls Israel is constructing -- are subject to the same logic that Mr. Sharon courageously articulated about Gaza: Their dream of holding the land forever is unattainable. As in Gaza, a withdrawal from the West Bank eventually will have to occur whether or not Israel receives any concessions from the Palestinians in return. But Palestinians, too, should have learned something: Israel is capable of making the pragmatic and painful sacrifices necessary for a lasting peace settlement. Palestinians have yet to convincingly demonstrate -- in deeds, as opposed to words -- that they can do the same.
That's why the first response to the question of what comes after Gaza must be: Gaza. The Palestinian Authority must prove that it is capable of setting up and leading a civilized democratic state. That means disarming Islamic extremist movements even while giving those groups the opportunity to compete peacefully in elections; channeling development aid quickly into labor-intensive development projects; and using force without hesitation against any attempt to use Gaza as a base for attacks against Israel. As President Bush suggested this week, without progress in these areas it will be impossible to move toward a final settlement.
That shouldn't mean Mr. Sharon has no further obligations. The success of Palestinian moderates depends heavily on their ability to deliver improvements on the ground that require Israel's collaboration. Though the settlers are gone, Palestinians in Gaza still have no freedom to travel from the strip or to export products efficiently; agreements with Israel on these points are long overdue. Mr. Sharon pledged months ago to withdraw Israeli forces from Palestinian West Bank towns and remove roadblocks that make daily life there miserable. He also promised the Bush administration that dozens of West Bank settlement outposts his own government defines as illegal would be dismantled. The Gaza operation shows that if he is serious about these commitments, he can deliver on them.
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ISRAEL HAS completed its evacuation of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank far more quickly and easily than virtually anyone -- including the government of Ariel Sharon -- expected. There were wrenching moments as Israeli soldiers forced families from their homes, and tense...
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Rice's Mission to Foggy Bottom
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Using a mixture of moxie and charm, Condoleezza Rice has improved relations with some of President Bush's harshest critics overseas. The secretary of state will now try to work the same wonders with the battle-hardened policy warriors in her own bureaucracy.
"Running a very big organization is something that I always enjoyed," the former provost of Stanford University said in her State Department office the other day. "People are surprised that I go through budget reviews, but paying attention to detail is part of the challenge that comes with running an organization of 50,000 employees."
To change the world, Bush believes that he must change Washington. To save the world, many diplomats at the State Department believe that they must change the foreign policy visions conjured up in the White House. Rice now occupies the crucial middle ground in a clash of ideas and political cultures.
Despite her success in defusing tensions with allies abroad in her first seven months, Rice still invites skepticism from mid-level Foreign Service officers who bridle at the thought of their beloved State Department becoming "White House Annex 2."
Some of the skepticism is nostalgia for Colin Powell, who spent his time fighting the White House and placating the Foreign Service bureaucracy in the name of morale-building. And some of the resistance stems from the condition known as clientitis, with foreign nations being favored clients or potential future employers.
But this is not just another entrenched bureaucracy fighting to defend perks and turf. To succeed in the foreign policy battle of Washington, Bush and Rice will need to recognize and accommodate the idealism and sense of history that fuel the State Department's strongly held value system.
The Foreign Service's Olympian view of current events discounts an administration's ideology and political needs of the day. That puts the State Department at odds with any president -- John F. Kennedy called it the Fudge Factory -- but particularly with the passionate, brash Bush, who does not hide his disdain for diplomatic niceties.
Bush and his immediate staff have flattened the Washington policy landscape by centralizing policymaking in the White House to a degree that most presidents have only dreamt about, leaving Cabinet departments to implement Bush's decisions.
Initiatives and announcements once unveiled at Treasury, Education or other departments came out of the White House with regularity in the first term. Now Bush has sent Rice, his first-term national security adviser, to quell the hotbed of rebellion that the State Department often was under Powell.
She has deftly launched new initiatives and turned over major responsibilities for them to stars of the Foreign Service such as Undersecretary Nicholas Burns and Assistant Secretary Christopher Hill, who has breathed new life into international efforts to manage North Korea's nuclear-weapons tantrum.
But Rice rejects the oft-stated premise that this amounts to a new "realism" in U.S. foreign policy:
"Our policy has been realistic all along. It was 'realistic' to recognize that without some fundamental shifts, in the Middle East for example, to political openness and room for proper political expression, you are going to continue to have a problem with terrorism," Rice told me. "What is so realistic about hanging on to an authoritarian status quo that brought us 9/11, and that spawned al Qaeda?"
It is conditions that have changed, after fighting two wars, shaking up the United Nations, reaching new understandings with Russia and other steps: "The pieces are lying around and we are trying to reconstruct a new basis for peace and stability moving forward."
The Foreign Service has been discovering that Rice does not lack confidence in her own well-developed value system and sense of history. She no longer works down the hall from the president, but she has no shortage of the kind of access to Bush that Powell neither valued nor received.
"I may not see the president five times a day now. But we talk on the telephone when we need to," she said during our mid-afternoon chat. "Today I've spoken to him twice, beginning at 5:45 a.m. On other days it has been more than that. It depends on what is happening."
She acknowledged missing "the very tight-knit group" that the White House staff forms: "We became friends in a way that may not be possible in a large organization like this one." Another big difference is that "here, you are on the front lines of diplomacy, rather than in a support role." All she needs to remember is that on the front line, the fire can come from any direction.
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Using a mixture of moxie and charm, Condoleezza Rice has improved relations with some of President Bush's harshest critics overseas. The secretary of state will now try to work the same wonders with the battle-hardened policy warriors in her own bureaucracy.
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Political Violence Surges in Iraq
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BAGHDAD, Aug. 26 -- Political violence surged Thursday along many of Iraq's ethnic and sectarian fault lines, while Shiite and Sunni Arab political leaders haggled past a third deadline without reaching accord on a draft constitution.
As the two-day death toll around Iraq reached 100, fighting between two powerful Shiite militias in the southern city of Najaf subsided, with 19 reported dead overall. The clashes Wednesday night and Thursday between the Mahdi Army, loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, and fighters allegedly linked to the government-allied Badr Organization were the deadliest between Iraqi militia forces since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.
In Baghdad, 13 Iraqi police officers, 27 Iraqi civilians and an unidentified American security force member were killed when dozens of fighters believed to be former members of Saddam Hussein's security apparatus laid siege to a neighborhood late Wednesday, openly walking the district's streets in black masks and carrying AK-47s and grenade launchers, according to the U.S. military, Iraqi officials and witnesses. East of the capital, the bodies of 36 other men, their identities unknown, were found heaped Thursday near a road leading toward Iran, security officials told news agencies.
The bloodshed was spurred partly by differences among Sunni and Shiite Arabs and ethnic Kurds over the constitution, along with attempts by insurgents and Hussein loyalists to derail the political process. Laith Kubba, spokesman for Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari, said the Baghdad siege in particular was a "stage-managed operation," orchestrated by supporters of Hussein intent on overshadowing work on the constitution. "They wanted the writing on the wall that they are still there," Kubba said.
While the Bush administration has pushed hard for Iraqis to stick to a timeline for approving the constitution that would show progress toward political change -- and would make U.S. troop withdrawals possible -- one negotiator said American officials Thursday appeared more intent on bringing Sunni Arabs on board than on rushing the process to its conclusion. American and Iraqi leaders have called inclusion of mainstream Sunnis in the political process an essential step toward ending the Sunni-led insurgency.
The speaker of Iraq's National Assembly, Hachim Hasani, said separately that ending the constitutional talks with Sunnis and Shiites still so far apart would only risk greater civil strife later. "It's very dangerous if Iraq cannot come to some kind of consensus on something this important," Hasani said. "Everybody doesn't want Iraq to go divided to the referendum."
Iraq's interim constitution requires a nationwide vote on the draft by Oct. 15. The National Assembly was obligated to finish it by Aug. 15, but negotiators instead engineered a one-week extension. When that deadline passed Monday, faction leaders submitted an incomplete document to the assembly and gave themselves until Thursday to produce a complete version.
Late Thursday, as negotiations continued, political leaders sent out word for assembly members to stay home, canceling the 400 dinners ordered for lawmakers and staff members. Kubba told reporters that negotiators would simply submit a finished draft by the end of the day. "The assembly will then rubber-stamp it," perhaps by Sunday, he said.
Instead, a weary Hasani appeared on state television Friday a few minutes after midnight. There was no deal, Hasani said, and meetings would resume later in the day.
"This constitution deserves to be given time," Hasani said as most of Baghdad slept or tossed on another hot night when municipal electricity was unavailable to power air conditioners. "It deserves giving it another day for everyone to be satisfied.
"We hope tomorrow we can finish this matter. The final day will be when we say this is the constitution draft which everybody agreed on."
Others involved in or close to the negotiations expressed frustration.
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Political violence surges along many of Iraq's ethnic and sectarian fault lines, while Shiite and Sunni Arab political leaders haggled past a third deadline without reaching accord on a draft constitution.
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Little Assurance From ID-Theft Insurance
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Identity thieves are the serial kidnappers of white-collar crime, and I'm convinced they will commit many more electronic snatchings before anyone figures out how to thwart them.
So I was all ears when a Seattle-based data broker called Intelius Inc. dropped by my office touting its new identity-theft-protection service, which it claims does more than similar offerings from major credit bureaus. Like many people, I had received a confusing array of offers for identity-theft protection over the past year. Since I had no clue what might prove useful, I listened intently to Naveen Jain, chief executive of Intelius.
"Identity thieves leave fingerprints, tons of trigger points, such as when your Social Security number is attached to a different person, or you get a change of address but no disconnect on a phone," he explained.
Jain claimed his staff had devised fancy formulas that analyze data in new ways to catch ID rip-off artists in the act -- often faster than a standard credit-monitoring service, which typically alerts you only if someone signs up for unauthorized credit in your name. His company's $8-a-month "ID Watch" service went live last month, promising it "detects, prevents and insures against identity theft."
It sounded so good I was ready to sign up on the spot. That should have been my first tip-off that Intelius might be promising more than it could deliver. The second was my recollection of Jain from his days as founder of InfoSpace Inc., a high-flying Internet data company that crashed but managed to survive after its board pushed Jain out. He and the company were then slammed with shareholder lawsuits.
Now here was a slightly humbled man ("I can't believe some of the things I said to you back then," he chuckled), saying his new company had spent the past two years acquiring data about individual Americans so it could sell background checks over the Internet at $50 a pop. It expects to generate $60 million this year from those digital dossiers, he said, many bought by folks checking out prospective dates or people applying to work in their homes.
"People think of it as snooping, but in reality it's about personal safety," he declared.
Intelius's latest software, according to Jain, tries to make additional use of the billions of factoids it scoops up from public and private records -- property transactions, court records, magazine subscriptions, catalogue purchases, business licenses and the like. It even scans the Internet for information on compromised Social Security numbers and credit cards, then flags any clues left by identity thieves.
I asked for examples, but he didn't want to give away details of what he called his "patent-pending, early-warning system." The main example he provided was that Intelius buys information from phone companies nationwide on some 200,000 telephone connections and disconnections made daily, then compares it with change-of-address forms filed with the U.S. Postal Service. ID thieves often file change-of-address forms, he explained, and the lack of an accompanying phone order could signal something is wrong.
By the time he finished pitching his service, I was thinking what a bargain it would be if it did half what he claimed -- not only detecting crime in its early stages, but also providing an advocate to help straighten out any fraudulent activity and throwing in $25,000 worth of insurance to cover lost wages and related costs.
After he left, I went online to check out Jain and his firm. First I ran a "People Search" at Yahoo.com on the name "Naveen Jain" in Washington.
Yahoo couldn't find him but displayed a big ad from Intelius claiming it had found Jain's unlisted phone number, along with his age, address history and family members. Clicking on the ad led to an offer at Intelius.com to run a "background check" on Jain for $49.95.
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Identity thieves are the serial kidnappers of white-collar crime, and I'm convinced they will commit many more electronic snatchings before anyone figures out how to thwart them.
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China to Allow More Stock Sales
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SHANGHAI, Aug. 24 -- China on Wednesday freed more than 1,300 largely state-owned companies to gradually sell shares of stock now controlled by the Communist Party government, putting nearly $270 billion worth of state assets on the trading block. This unprecedented wave of privatization is aimed at lifting domestic stock markets and furthering the country's transition toward capitalism.
The plan announced by the China Securities Regulatory Commission underscored how this land once ruled by Maoist ideology has in recent years cast its fortunes with free markets and private capital. It also highlighted the government's mounting concern with the sorry state of the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets, which have performed worse than any in the world over the past eight years, even as China's economy has grown by nearly 9 percent annually.
The move is "a huge deal," said Stephen Green, senior economist at Standard Chartered Bank in Shanghai and author of the book "Exit the Dragon?," which examines China's privatization. "The state-owned shares have been an albatross around the neck of the market. This is a pretty good sign that they're serious about reform."
Ever since China established its first stock exchange in 1990, Communist Party leaders have struggled to convince investors that they are running a real market as opposed to a capital-raising machine in which the government manipulates share prices to serve the interests of favored state firms. The disconnect between China's swift growth and its plunging stock markets has been traced to investor unease with the structure of the companies for sale: Roughly two-thirds of the shares of listed firms remain non-tradable, locked in the hands of state-owned parent companies that are impervious to the interests of minority shareholders.
The plan announced on Wednesday -- the most significant change to China's stock exchanges since their creation -- is aimed at convincing investors that state interference is a relic of the past, with stock prices reflective of real values in a more transparent marketplace.
The move sets in motion a gradual sell-off of non-tradable shares while seeking to assuage worries about a possible plunge in prices when these shares enter the market. It also triggers negotiations between existing shareholders and the managers of listed companies to set some form of compensation -- either cash or additional shares -- for investors who will see their holdings diluted. The shares made tradable would not necessarily be sold: The parent companies holding them could opt to keep them. Those shares that are sold would be released for purchase over time, typically over one to three years.
Analysts emphasized that the plan should not be construed as an indication that the government has embraced wholesale privatization. The majority of the companies that trade on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges are small arms of giant firms that remain wholly controlled by the state, or inconsequential and poorly managed firms engaged in such enterprises as the cement business and bicycle manufacturing. The government's decision to put more of these shares into private hands does not signal an intent to relinquish control over the largest and most strategically important state-owned firms, which still dominate key sectors of the Chinese economy such as steel, auto-making, telecommunications and commercial aviation.
"This is basically a mechanism to get the stock market to function, which it has not done in four years," said Arthur Kroeber, managing editor of the China Economic Quarterly. "This is the state privatizing junk that it's not interested in but retaining control over the core companies."
China's bid to win investor confidence in its stock markets received another push Wednesday with a report carried by the official New China News Agency that the legislature plans to toughen securities laws, giving the regulatory commission the authority to freeze corporate and individual bank accounts in a bid to root out corrupt trading.
Analysts said the initiatives are aimed at making China's stock markets more attractive to investors, particularly foreign banks such as Morgan Stanley that collectively have qualified to buy up to $4 billion of stock on domestic exchanges. The control of listed firms by the state has fostered the sense that China's markets are beset by inside deals and shoddy corporate governance. And foreign investors have been reluctant to plunge in until after the resolution of the non-tradable shares conundrum -- a black cloud hovering over China's markets, which have seen half their value wiped out since 2001.
In the past month alone, as speculation has grown that a new plan was in the offing, the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets have each risen by more than 12 percent. Both markets were up again Wednesday.
The Wednesday action caps a long and frustrating effort by China's leaders to address the issue of continued state dominance of listed companies. Four years ago, the government announced plans to sell off state shares of listed companies to raise money for a pension system that would compensate workers who lost their benefits under China's pro-market reforms. But when stocks tanked in anticipation of such sales, the government scratched the plan.
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SHANGHAI, Aug. 24 -- China on Wednesday freed more than 1,300 largely state-owned companies to gradually sell shares of stock now controlled by the Communist Party government, putting nearly $270 billion worth of state assets on the trading block. This unprecedented wave of privatization is aimed at...
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Color of Money Book Club
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Michelle writes that stories of eBay PowerSellers and the question-and-answer sections at the end of each chapter (with each online merchant) make this book interesting.
Read Michelle's past Color of Money columns .
Michelle Singletary: Good afternoon everyone. Well isn't this a fun topic? I've been on eBay but never bought or sold anything so I'm interested myself in this hot new trend. So let's get started.
Fort Worth, Texas: Are estate sales worth attending to buy items for resale, or would the items already be priced too high to make any profit?
Amy Joyner: A lot of estate sales are run by antiques dealers who know the value of the things they're selling. So, you probably won't get very good deals on things you buy there.
That's not to say that you won't be able to find something to sell on eBay at one of these sales. Just make sure you know the eBay value of any item before you buy it. And consider purchasing things that don't have a high value locally but might have a higher value nationally.
New Canaan, CT: I am wondering how best to sell my company's inventory which consists of upscale handmade women's accessories (many one of a kind): jewelry, scarves, clothing, hats, jackets, handbags, leather goods, some home accessories, my store displays and fixtures, etc. I am no longer actively pursuing this business and want to sell out the entire retail studio that has been moved to my home. I have returned to practicing law full time, have 2 sons and limited time to handle this on ebay.
Amy Joyner: Sounds like you don't have a lot of time to sell these items on eBay yourself. So I'd suggest you find a trading assistant in your area who will sell these items for you.
I did a quick search on eBay and found a few who you might want to work with. One, whose ebay ID is luxurywares, specializes in collectibles, designer clothing and accessories. The trading assistant is in Briar Cliff, NY, but says she does visit her client's home to check out and sort through merchandise. You'll get 60 percent of the profit from any item that sells; the trading assistant will keep 40 percent. And you'll share the cost of the eBay fees.
Another trading assistant who might work for you is pastperformances, who also specializes in designer clothing and accessories. This seller offers a 50-50 commission split.
For a complete listing of trading assistants in your area, visit http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/know-seller-trading-assistant.html
Remember to check out the trading assistants' feedback rating and look at any auctions they have ongoing. You want to make sure you find someone who is experienced and skillful enough to get you the best price for your mechandise.
Perhaps you want to try your hand at selling these items on eBay yourself. That will take more time, but I have a few suggestions on how to minimize your time committment.
Because you ran a retail store, I'm guessing that you multiple units of the same item to sell. (For example, the same style of shoes in various sizes or 10 of the same handbags.)
If this is the case, you're in luck. You only have to photograph these items once, write a description once and create the auction ad once if you use an auction management program.
Because you're not interested in starting an eBay business, I recommend that you download eBay's free bulk-lising tool, Turbo Lister at http://pages.ebay.com/turbo_lister/
Turbo Lister will help you manage the auctions and save you so much time. (Another way to save time; organize the items so they're easy to find once an auction ends.)
Preparing items for shipment will take some time. You could contract with a local shipping center to package the items for you (just make sure you include their fees in the shipping fees you charge bidders.)
You could also enlist your kids -- if they're old enough -- to help you with shipping. They can wrap items in bubble wrap or tissue paper, fill boxes with packing peanuts or tape boxes.
To save yourself time at the post office or UPS or FedEx, print your postage online. Then, all you have to do is drop it off -- or better yet, schedule a pickup. (You'll need a scale and a ruler because you have to input package dimensions and weight to buy postage online.)
Silver Spring, MD: Hi Michelle - hope you're also answering just regular questions today.
My husband is about to take a job as a "consultant" so he won't have a 401K like we're use to. I've heard a Roth IRA is a good alternative but we may make too much money to qualify for that. What would be a good way for us to save for his retirement while he's doing the consultant job?
Michelle Singletary: I don't mind off the topic questions. You're right a Roth would be a good way to save for retirement if you qualify. Roth IRA contributions are not deductible, but retirement distributions are not taxed the way distributions from a traditional IRA are.
The maximum annual contribution you could make to your Roth IRA for the 2005 through 2007 calendar years is $4,000 and then goes up to $5,000 for 2008.
In addition, individuals age 50 or older by the end of the tax year are permitted to make an additional catch-up contribution of $500 for 2005 and $1,000 for tax years 2006 and later.
The qualification phase-out begins at $150,000 for married couples filing jointly.
But remember even if you can't find a tax advantage way to save you can still invest for your retirement in a index or managed mutual fund.
Washington, D.C.: Does this book exclusively cover Titanium Powerseller?
Amy Joyner: Everyone in the book is a titanium PowerSeller.
Michelle Singletary: But if I might add, there is a lot of information for novice eBay sellers.
Alexandria, VA: Would curtains sell well on eBay or do they currently?
Amy Joyner: Actually, curtains don't really sell well on eBay, unless they are new and in the original packaging.
I just checked, and there are currently 6,005 listings for window treatments on eBay. But a quick scan showed few bids for custom draperies.
The reason, I think, is because everyone's windows are a different size. So, even if you paid hundreds for your draperies, your chances of recouping part of that cost through selling on eBay are slim.
Bowie, MD: I have a home in NC and will be relocating there in about 5 years. I am working in the Washington area and I am currently renting at the tune of close to $1500 -month. My question is should I purchase a home while here for the next five years and sell when I relocate in 5 years.
Michelle Singletary: If you already have a home why would you need one here? Think of all the cost you will incur to buy a home in DC only to sell in a few years. Now of course we all know the prices are crazy here and perhaps you could get a handsome sum but that's all an "if." Look renting isn't a BAD thing. You are getting something in return. A roof over your head. Now if you have extra money and think you buying a home in DC would be a good investment, then it might make sense. Otherwise, don't worry about the money you think you're wasting on rent.
Melbourne, FL: How does one with little money go about purchasing excess inventory from people to start their eBay selling?
Amy Joyner: Rather than buying the items, why don't you offer to sell the items on consignment? That way, you don't have to invest any money up front.
Washington DC: Michelle: I was confused by your column on Sunday. I was under the impression that, if I lived in a house and realized a capital gain when I sold it (regardless of the amount), I could roll over the entire amount into a new residence purchase with no tax consequences. Is that not the case? Must the new house cost more than the one sold; if so, by how much? Is there a limit on the amount that can be rolled over?
Michelle Singletary: You are confused. The 1031 exchange I wrote about is only available for investment purposes. You cannot shield all the capital gains from your PERSONAL residence. You are only entitled to shield up to $250,000 if you're single and $500,000 if married filing jointly. Any amount over that is taxed if and when you sell your personal residence.
And come on, do you really think the tax code would be that GENEROUS!
Alexandria, VA: What are the type of items sold on eBay that have made people successful?
Amy Joyner: It's a wide range, really. Some of the people are selling big, high-ticket items. But others are selling inexpensive items in volume.
Here are a few examples:
Italian charm bracelets (each sells for $4-$5)
used and new restaurant equipment
Richmond, VA: Submitting early, hoping to get your opinion. I donate a lot of things to Goodwill, I try to take at least one box a month. At Goodwill recently, I met a woman who makes money by buying things at Goodwill and selling them on Ebay. Now, I was immediately put off by this. When I donate my items, it is with the intention that someone who needs them receives them at a reduced price. If I was selling them at a tag sale, it would be fair to buy and then resell but I think of Goodwill as a charity.
I haven't taken any items to Goodwill since, I have a box piled up in my garage. I have no problems with the free enterprise system, I just find it distasteful that some people are making money from charitable donations.
Amy Joyner: I understand why you'd be put off by this, but I don't think you should be.
Goodwill stores are a good place for needy people to find clothing and household goods. But anyone is welcome to shop there; in fact, Goodwill encourages that. (My inlaws, who both have great jobs and earn great salaries, shop at Goodwill all the time because they like the bargains. In fact, my mother-in-law thinks if everyone shopped there, they'd wind up with a lot more money in their bank and retirement accounts.)
Goodwill operates its stores to raise money for its mission of promoting "the value of work and self-sufficiency through the provision of vocational services and work opportunities for people with special employment needs." (That's the mission statement from Goodwill in my area, by the way.)
In fact, Goodwill nationwide is doing things to upgrade its stores and make them more attractive to all people, not just needy people. The reason is simple. Revenues from the stores help fuel Goodwill. In Central North Carolina, where I live, sales from the retail store account for almost 90 percent of the charity's operating funds.
So, I hope you'll continue to donate to Goodwill because by not doing so, you are hurting the charity. And whenever that woman buys something from Goodwill to sell on eBay, she's helping the charity, too.
Michelle Singletary: I totally agree with Amy. The woman buying things from Goodwill is helping and so are you when you donate your items. I hope you return to your goodwill!
washingtonpost.com: Michelle's Sunday Column: Think Location And Taxation
Washington, DC: How important is a fancy listing when selling on ebay? While my descriptions are clear, knowledgeable and thorough, sometimes I worry that my listings don't get attention, because they don't have all the bells and whistles. I feel like this is especially a problem when selling luxury items like art and antiques.
Amy Joyner: I know that when I'm shopping on eBay, I'm most concerned with the seller's feedback rating, the item description and the photographs. I don't really care if someone uses a fancy auction template.
To me -- and I think to most buyers -- the photo and the description tell the story. And you have to have a high feedback rating, particularly if you're selling expensive items.
One extra I think you should always pay for -- a gallery listing. That's the thumbnail-sized picture that runs on the search results page. You'll get a lot more people looking at your auction if you give them a sneak peak on that search page.
Port Orchard, WA: Buyers are complaining about shipping and handling. How can you keep your customers happy and still make a profit? I travel a lot and do a lot of shopping for good quality and I still get questions why do I charge a handling cost? I have not charged more than a gallon of gas for handling. So should I raise the starting bid price or keep it low?
Amy Joyner: Shipping costs are a big issue for eBay buyers or sellers? Do you disclose in every auction listen that your shipping charge includes a handling charge? If not, you need to start doing that, and spell out the exact dollar amount.
I think bidders get upset when they're suprised by handling costs at the end of the auction. But, if they know about them in advance, they can adjust their maximum bid accordingly.
I wouldn't raise the starting bid of your items to cover handling. That might cost you sales because you want to start bidding as low as possible to attract more bidders.
One thing you can do to shroud the cost of postage versus handling is to have your mail metered. And when you ship with FedEx or UPS, no one can see how much you paid to send the package.
Rather than having a a different handling price for each item, I'd suggest setting a standard fee for every item. Aggregate your cost of doing business over every item you sell. That's what a lot of catalog companies do.
Re: consulting and retirement: The consultant should also look into things like SEP IRA and Keogh plans which are each small business retirement investment arrangements. A SEP IRA requires very little set-up and administrative time.
Michelle Singletary: Good point. Thanks!
Olney, MD: Michelle, I thought you in particular would love this advice for the person with the curtains:
You can have someone pick them up and put them to good use if you post them on a local Freecycle group. Freecycle is completely free, and everything on it is free. It's goal is to keep items that are still usable out of the landfill by connecting you with someone in your community who might be able to still use the item. Broken appliances might be tinkered with and possibly repaired by a more frugal member, scraps of cloth can be used for art projects...everything is welcome, and nothing is too small!
Michelle Singletary: I do love this idea. I too am concerned about the amount of stuff that is just thrown away!
Bethesda, MD: Amy, you state an interesting statistic on page three of your book/first paragraph: "..more than 40 percent of all eBayers closed an actual sale on the site in the past year". That seems rather low! You commented on this statistic again on page 38/seventh paragraph when you described how eBayer AuctionDrop sells "an extraordinary 92 percent of items it lists for sale." Could you comment on why only 41 percent of items listed actually find a buyer?
Amy Joyner: The original statistic refers to every auction posted, and it comes straight from eBay.
I think that stat results from a lot of inexperienced people trying to auction off items that are priced too high. Or they'll use reserve auctions -- something most of the titanium powersellers never do.
AuctionDrop is choosier about the items it sells on eBay. They check to see that there's a market for the item -- at the price they want to sell it at -- before listing it on eBay. Sometimes, less experienced sellers forget to do that. Or they forget to check out the competition. If I have something to sell on eBay, I always check to see if there are other duplicate items for sale before posting my auction. If there are, I'll wait.
Washington D.C: My husband and I have been married for over 20 years and he has basicaly taken care of our family's finances. We both are not particularly astute when it comes to financial planning as we have basically "winged" it all of these years. Just a few days ago my husband drove up in a used car that cost 34 thousand dollars with a $600 dollar monthly note. It was a surprise for me from him (I'm normally a thrift-store shopper), therefore my reaction to the car was a surprise to him (we are not speaking now). I knew that this was a bad idea. We have a daughter in college and a 12 year old son. Our retirement plan is shaky to say the least and we are both almost 50. I am very scared to continue as we have done all of these years. I want to take a more active role in our finances, but I don't know where to start. Do you, Michelle suggest that we secure a financial advisor (recommendation of a person) and is there something that I can begin to do.
I didn't want to give to many details for fear that I would take to much of your time, but I would appreciate an answer and possibly another opportunity to speak with you again. I feel that we living in a time bomb.
Michelle Singletary: Oh my dear. You are in a pickle. First, sit down with your husband of 20 years and discuss calmly your feelings about his "gift." I agree that I would be very, very upset with my husband for such a gift that will cost our family such a huge expense going forward. Something like that he should have discussed with you. But the deed is done. Now it's time to take action. You two need to do some serious talking. And you are right to want to become more involved in the finances. So do it. NOW. If talking is tough try to find a counselor that can help (check with your church if you belong to one, check with your employee benefit office to see if you qualify for counseling. You may consider hiring a fee-only financial planner to take a look at what you've got to see where you need to go. But the fees can be high anywhere from $150 to $200 an hour. Commission-based planners might work if that number is too steep for you but remember they will try to sell you stuff.
Most important tho is to have the talk with your husband and the TWO of you sit down and come up with a plan (including how you will handle a $600 a month car note. And for goodness sake what kind of car did he get you?
Washignton DC: What do you think of these drop-off store franchises? Will they succeed?
Amy Joyner: Another great question. I'm afraid to say that I think most of these drop-off stores won't succeed. (I've already seen several close in my town.)
To make money, these companies have to charge such a high commission. Their commissions typically aren't higher than traditional consignment stores. But for some reason, people expect to make more money on the things they sell on eBay.
Sandston, VA: Pardon me, you probably answer this in your book, which I mean to read soon:
How does starting the bid low (a penny!?!) help? The obvious problem being we would be afraid we would be selling something for a really low price in the end.
Amy Joyner: And that's a legitimate fear.
But this is a strategy used by most (not all) of the titanium PowerSellers.
Starting auctions at a penny gets more people interested in bidding -- and competing against one another.
I wouldn't use this strategy, however, with DVDS (the market is too saturated) or collectible that is worth a lot of money but has a narrow audience.
Washington, D.C.: What do U suggest is the best way to contact and develop a "mentor" relationship with a Titanium Powersell on eBay or any type of power seller on eBay?
Amy Joyner: I found that the powersellers I interviewed were more than willing to share their expertise. Most of them had mentors who offered them help as they started their business.
So, send your would-be mentor an email or give them a call (many titanium powersellers list their telephone numbers with their auctions) and tell them you'd want their advice in starting your own eBay business.
Now, I wouldn't contact something you're seeking to compete against. They won't be helpful. But folks with John Stack of A City Discount and Joe Myeress of Cord Camera and Bob Buchanan of Inventory Solutions, I'm sure, would be happy to offer you some insight.
alexandria, va: How do people find the opportunity to get the antiques or the designer clothes they sell to create such a significant inventory that in turn propels them to the level of a power seller?
Amy Joyner: In the case of one of the sellers I profiled, evalueville, they have a relationship with Bloomingdales. They buy are their customer returns and then resell them on eBay.
The jeweler I profiled already operated a jewelry store in St. Petersburg, Fla., and he uses eBay to get a wider audience for his products.
Fort Worth, TX: I'd like to know what software tools these sellers are using and what is lacking.
Amy Joyner: Shawn, I'll answer the first part of your question, but I'm not sure I understand exactly what you're asking in the second part.
The Titanium PowerSellers I interviewed used a variety of auction-management tools, but ChannelAdvisor was the preferred solution for most of the high-volume sellers.
These are some others they're using:
If you're looking for the best fit for your business, I'd suggest you start using eBay's free tool, Turbo Lister. After you've used it, you'll be able to make a list of what features it's lacking. Then, you can shop around and see which software best meets your needs.
One caveat: none of the software will do everything you want it to do. Rock Bottom Golf switched from Marketworks to ChannelAdvisor, but it's still not the perfect solution for Todd Rath.
Scott Gaynor of SC Gaynor Auctions uses SpareDollar. While he has some complaints about it, he prefers it to other options because SpareDollar doesn't charge a per-transaction fee, just a flat monthly subscription.
Another option is to design your own software solution, either yourself or by hiring a programmer. If you decide to do this, I recommend you join the eBay Developers Program. Visit http://developer.ebay.com for more info.
Washington, D.C.: I read the book and it was very good. However, all of the Power Sellers interviewed either had an existing business and/or previous business connections to suppliers. How would you suggest novice entrepreneurs develop a steady supply of product to move on eBay?
Amy Joyner: That is always a challenge. Unfortunately, I couldn't get any of the Titanium Powersellers to reveal who their suppliers are.
One way to get merchandise to sell -- without having to invest a lot of money in inventory -- is to set yourself up as a trading assistant. That is, offer to sell things for other people. That's how several of the people I interviewed got started.
Another thing I'd suggest is visit manufacturers, distributors and retailers in your area and ask if you can sell their surplus inventory on eBay. A lot of companies are storing things that they'd like to get rid of. (Make sure you have some expertise in the product area.)
A third option is eBay's Reseller Marketplace, which was launched in June. (I haven't tried this out yet.) But here's the gist: "Reseller Marketplace is a private online marketplace for eBay PowerSellers to purchase liquidated and refurbished inventory and excess inventory in lot sizes directly from manufacturers and distributors."
You can also find merchandise to sell at garage sales, but you'd have a hard time becoming a top-level powerseller using this strategy.
Rockville, MD: Love your book - has some great tips. My question is what is the best way to distinguish my product from the rest of the crowd? I want to sell jewelry online, and I noticed that there are thousands of listings. Is there really a market for all that stuff?
Amy Joyner: I've never bought jewelry online, but believe there is a market for it.
What you need to do is offer the kind of service that someone's hometown local jeweler would. I think you need to cultivate return customers.
Include information about appraisals and certifation with each auction listing.
Pay attention to packaging; create your own version of the Tiffany blue box. Offer to gift wrap items for free.
Jewelry is an investment, and people have a lot of questions before they buy. I think you ought to make yourself very available to bidders. Perhaps you can publicize your telephone number on your auctions. (That's what the proprietor of Carsyours does.)
You also ought to keep a database of your former customers. Send them occasional emails that tell them what items you'll be putting up for sale.
One thing I learned in reporting this book, diamond engagement rings don't sell very well on eBay. But branded jewelry, such as David Yurman, does.
Florida: Hi Michelle! I love your column/books--we get them down here too! My husband and I have no real debt. the cars are fairly new and paid off, no credit card debt, the main house is on a 15 year mortage and we recently bought a 2nd home. Both kids have a prepaid college plan that is paid in full. We fully contribute to the tax deffered plans (currently 20% of my income and about 15% of hubby's). We have a few stocks/bonds. What 'next steps' should we do to start building up our wealth? I'm afraid without a plan we'll just spend the extra money. We are in our late 30's. Thank you!
Michelle Singletary: You're kidding, right? What next step? ADOPT ME! Please you don't need a next step. You need to give yourself and break and have fun now. Sounds like you've got everything under control. No debt. House. Retirement savings. College taken care of (although remember those plans don't cover everything -- just tution. So you may need to save more for room and board). But essentially you're doing just what you should be doing. Now if you really have some extra money I have three rugrats I'm still saving for college for :)
Washington, D.C.: This is just a comment. U are correct that "most" experienced eBay sellers don;t use (reserve) auctions...........HOWEVER......that all depends on the item sold.
Typical (from my own experience on eBay) and from observation, if the item to be auctioned is expected to sell for $200 more dollars..........THEN "reserved" auctions are the order for the day.
Amy Joyner: Good point. Most big sellers don't use reserves. But, they have lots of inventory and make lots of sales. So, they can afford to lose money on an item every now and then. A smaller seller cannot.
(I still use reserves sometimes, too. I bought a $300 designer Moo Roo purse for $149 and decided to list it for sale on eBay. It didn't sell because I used a reserve. But I wasn't willing to lose money on the bag - because I figured if it didn't sell, I could always keep it and carry it myself!) That's the danger of selling things that you like on eBay!
Michelle Singletary: A $149 purse? Really? I can't identify :)
Laurel: I haven't read the book, maybe you address this...
Let's suppose I'm willing to pay "about" $50 for an item. Other participants probably think they'd pay about the same. The people who'd pay $40 or $60 aren't really competing with bid my anway, so my competitors are the other people who think the item is worth about $50.
So how much little extra should I add? If bid $52.75 will I knock out the other people in the "about $50" group?
I wish I knew the answer to that. It's really hard to predict how your competitors are going to bid. My trick -- it works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't -- is to bid a kooky amount, like $53.64.
You just have to decide what your maximum is. (And usually it's higher than you think.) My husband missed out by a dollar or a collection of comic books because he had a $50 max in his mind. But when they sold for $51, he realized he would have paid $75 for them.
Washington: Thanks for the informative columns, Michelle.
What are the most frequent and popular items that are sold on EBay?
Amy Joyner: This varies at any given time. eBay has a monthly "Hot Categories Report" where it lists some of the best-selling items. That report is available in the Seller Central area on eBay.
I checked the August report, and here are a few of this month's "hot" sellers:
cell phone headsets and SIM cards
vintage clothing from the 1960s and 1970s
These are just a few examples. I'd encourage you to check out the entire hot list.
Los Angeles, CA: What are the key elements to the Ebay business success common to each of the Titanium Powersellers profiled in your book?
Amy Joyner: Very good question. And a tough one, too.
But here are some of the best lessons I learned from the Titanium PowerSellers.
- Begin with a low starting bid. That will generate interest in your auctions. And the item will sell for what it's worth. (One of my sellers did this with a $10,000 walk-in restaurant freezer. Starting with an incredibly low bid, but it still sold for what it was worth.)
- Be proactive in giving feedback; most buyers will respond in kind
- answer questions you receive from bidders - and be kind in your response.
- Take advantage of eBay's special offers, such as penny listing days and free galleries
- Check out the fee structure before deciding how to price your auctions.
Silver Spring, MD: Is there a good market for used-once wedding dresses on e-Bay? What would be the best way to sell them?
Amy Joyner: I was a bride a year ago, so I can speak to this from a personal as well as professional standpoint.
Uses wedding dresses don't sell well on eBay, but you will see a lot of listings. (AuctionDrop won't take used dresses any more.)
Most brides like to try on their dresses before they buy them. I know in my case the dress I picked out on the hanger wasn't the one that I ended up buying.
If you have a designer gown - Vera Wang, Monique Lhullier(sp?) - you'll have a better chance of selling it on eBay. But if you bought off the rack, you're better off saving it for your daughter (who won't wear it, by the way)
Michelle Singletary: Or sell the dress on consignment. I bought my wedding dress at a consignment store. If I remember right paid less than $200 for it. Great dress and nobody had to know it was used except the bride who wore it before me and she wasn't going to be at my wedding.
Washington DC: More often than not, auctions that start at a penny have -outrageous- shipping charges to avoid eBay fees (like a cell phone charger that starts at a penny but has parcel post shipping charges of $13.95). I rarely look at penny auctions for this reason- I expect an unscrupulous seller.
Amy Joyner: I hate it when sellers do that. I won't bid on those auctions that try to charge $20 for shipping. The sellers I profiled don't do that. They really are willing to sell their items for what the market will bear.
If you're a seller, don't gouge people on shipping! It will hurt your business in the long run.
Profits and taxes: How closely is the IRS looking at the sellers? They have to report income and pay taxes, right? Don't people have to keep careful records of expenses, sales, etc?
Amy Joyner: I'm not sure how closely the IRS is monitoring eBay sellers. But everyone should claim the income they make on eBay. And I believe that in most states, you're also supposed to charge collect sales tax if you sell something to a bidder within your own state.
And if you're a buyer, you have to pay sales tax on the new items you purchase online -- eBay included. I'm not sure of the rules on used items. Do you know, Michelle?
Michelle Singletary: I'm not sure either.
Arlington, VA: I would like to sell an expensive (to me) painting on eBay. Could you suggest someone who would handle this, if we split the profit? Thank you.
Amy Joyner: I'd contact Hess Fine Art, one of the eBayers profiled in my book. They specialize in these sorts of items.
Washington DC: I want to start an eBay business but have no clue what to sell. Can you tell me what areas I should explore that have the most profit potential?
Amy Joyner: Again, check out the Hot Categories Report in the Seller Central area of eBay.
I think you should explore your own hobbies, expertise and interests to determine what to sell on eBay. You'll be able to better guage the value, and you'll be able to offer your bidders expertise.
Amy Joyner: Thank you all for the wonderful questions. I regret that I couldn't answer all of them, but if you read The eBay Millionaire, you'll find lots of other tips. Thanks again.
Michelle Singletary: Ditto. Good chat. Lots of great questions. And sorry if we didn't get to yours but keep looking for my column because I often used unanswered questions from the chat for my print column.
And don't forget to sign up for my weekly online newsletter. In addition to a heads up of my columns, I pass along infor about other personal finance issues.
Thanks again and see you in two weeks.
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.
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Passing the Bar On Nutrition
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The newest addition to the breakfast table lets you enjoy your favorite cereal without lifting a spoon, using a bowl or even pouring a drop of milk.
Breakfast bars made by Kellogg's, Post, General Mills, Quaker, Kraft and other companies offer a fast-food option to those eating on the run in the morning. Found just down the grocery aisle from their cereal cousins, many are fortified with enough vitamins to rival a multivitamin. To make up for the missing milk, some bars also contain plenty of calcium.
Compared with granola bars, cereal bars are generally sweeter, have less whole grain, less fiber and pack more added vitamins and minerals. Cereal bars are sometimes higher in calories, ranging from about 90 to 180 calories per bar. That likely won't sabotage your weight-loss efforts unless you eat a box of them all at once. And starting at about 50 cents per bar, they're affordable.
"I've been struck by their popularity, particularly among college students," said registered dietitian Ann Litt, author of "The College Guide to Healthy Nutrition" (Tulip Hill Press) and a nutritional consultant to the Washington Redskins. Litt sees the breakfast bars as successors to Pop Tarts and other convenience breakfast foods.
"The good news," she said, is that cereal bars "are portable and can be stored easily. . . . But she worries that they help fuel a trend of eating processed, packaged fare "that is not real food."
One big concern of nutritionists is that cereal bars often come packed with enough processed sugar to give a candy bar a run for its money. With a few notable exceptions (more on that later), they're also short on fiber and protein. Plus, a few come with an unwanted ingredient: trans fatty acids, an unhealthy type of fat.
So how do they taste?
"Too sweet" was the common complaint from a group of 17 newsroom staffers who volunteered for a Lean Plate Club taste test, conducted in the late afternoon when deadline stress often stokes appetites. The test was blind, although the multicolored Trix bars were easy to spot even without their wrappers. Each bar was cut into thirds or quarters to enable testers to sample the 11 brands tested.
Even so, many testers couldn't stomach trying all the samples. Most said they wouldn't eat any of the bars for breakfast. Many said they wouldn't buy them under any circumstances.
"Most of them are just so . . . Rice Krispies Treats," wrote one tester. Another noted that the bars wouldn't be appealing even as a snack or dessert. "I'd rather have the real thing," this tester wrote.
Even so, eating a cereal bar in the morning "is better than eating nothing at all," said registered dietitian Amy Jamieson-Petonic, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "Study after study shows the benefit of breakfast."
Here's a sampling of our taste test results:
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Charter Schools Expand in Several New Directions
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Mornings at the summer program at one of the District's newest public charter schools typically began with the principal, Khala Johnson, striding down the aisles between tables in the cafeteria/auditorium/gym commanding the students to get funky. "Give me a beat!" she shouted, her shoulder-length dreadlocks shaking.
The 80 or so fifth-graders obliged, stomping their feet and pounding on the tables. On the fourth beat, the chanting began: "You got to read, baby, read! You got to read, baby, read! 'Cause reading is knowledge and knowledge is power, the power for college and I want it!"
It's called "KIPPnotizing" -- what officials at KIPP DC: AIM Academy say is their way of indoctrinating students into a culture of high expectations.
KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) is a network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools in under-resourced communities throughout the country. "We learn in fun ways here," said 10-year-old Leonell Cunningham. "It's better than my last school."
KIPP's introduction this upcoming school year of a second D.C. campus -- on the grounds of Congress Heights United Methodist Church, 421 S. Alabama Ave. SE -- is part of a boom in the District's eight-year-old charter-school movement. This year, 14 charter schools are opening, the most since the law establishing the independently run schools went into effect in 1997. Citywide charter school enrollment is expected to reach 16,000 this fall, up from about 15,000 a year ago.
In an expansion being watched closely around the country, the new charter schools are offering an assortment of education options for parents seeking unique education experiences for their children or alternatives to traditional public schools. The selections include a bilingual immersion school for English-speaking students who want to learn Spanish, and vice versa; a math and science academy run by Howard University; a special education school; several early childhood centers; art schools and one school where students will learn dining room etiquette.
"D.C. charter schools lead the pack in terms of market share," said Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform, a Washington-based organization that advocates for charter schools and other reforms nationwide.
"In every way, shape and form, in cities around the country, charter schools are serving students' varied learning styles and customizing services for students who need something different than what is offered" in the traditional public schools, she said. "Children have so many needs. You can't educate all of them well in the same manner."
One customized service is the dual-language program -- the first public Spanish-English language immersion middle school for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders -- the Academia Bilingue de la Comunidad (ABC) is offering in light of the District's growing Latino population.
So far, about half the 150 students are native-English speakers seeking to learn Spanish and the other half are native-Spanish speakers seeking to learn English. The students will be taught language arts and science in English and social studies and math in Spanish.
By exposing themselves to two cultures, "the students will get a wide worldview and will have more marketable skills," said Charles W. Jackson, executive director of the school, which for now is leasing space at National Memorial Baptist Church, 1501 Columbia Rd. NW. "Research shows that students who are in bilingual or dual-language programs actually score better on standardized tests," he said.
The only D.C. public school now offering a dual-language program is Oyster Bilingual Elementary, in Northwest, which has a Spanish-English bilingual curriculum. Jackson said he hopes that Oyster graduates will enroll at ABC and that the two schools can establish partnerships. Already, some Oyster teachers have helped write ABC's curricula, he said
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KIPP's introduction of a second D.C. campus is part of a boom in the District's eight-year-old charter-school movement, which is being watched closely around the country.
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British Detail Policy on Radicals
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LONDON, Aug. 24 -- The British government will deport and ban people who "foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence," the country's top law enforcement official announced Wednesday.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke outlined the new policy, the most detailed explanation to date of proposals announced this month by Prime Minister Tony Blair. Clarke said a list of "unacceptable behaviors" includes the use of Web sites, writing, preaching, publishing or distributing materials that "seek to provoke others to terrorist acts" or "foster hatred."
"Individuals who seek to create fear, distrust and division in order to stir up terrorist activity will not be tolerated by the government or by our communities," Clarke said. His statement detailed measures directly resulting from last month's transit system bombings in London, which killed 56 people, including four presumed bombers, and injured 700.
In a report Wednesday night on the July 7 bombings, BBC said one of the four suicide bombers attempted to call his fellow attackers before his device exploded on a city bus. Hasib Hussain, 18, was unable to contact the other three men because they had already died in three subway attacks, the network said, citing unnamed police sources. Officials theorized that all four bombs were intended to blow up on subway lines, but that Hussain was unable to enter a Northern Line station and exploded his bomb about one hour after the subway explosions, BBC reported.
Meanwhile, the Guardian newspaper, quoting unnamed sources, reported Wednesday that all four bombs were detonated by the individual attackers, contradicting versions that the men could have been tricked into carrying the explosives in backpacks, with the bombs then detonated by remote control.
Human rights activists and others have criticized the new British policy. But public opinion polls have shown overwhelming support for tightening laws against religious extremism, even if that leads to limits on free speech and other civil liberties in a nation with a long tradition of tolerance.
"We recognize the sensitivities around the use of these powers and intend to use them in a measured and targeted way," Clarke said. "These powers are not intended to stifle free speech or legitimate debate about religions or other issues. Britain is rightly proud of its openness and diversity and we must not allow those driven by extremism of any sort to destroy that tradition."
Clarke also said a "database of individuals around the world who have demonstrated these unacceptable behaviors will be developed" and made available to immigration officers monitoring those entering Britain. He did not specify who would compile the list or how extensive it might be.
The statement by Clarke did not refer to any particular religious or ethnic group, but the four presumed bombers were Muslim, as are five men suspected by police in failed bombings two weeks after the first attack. Blair had said earlier that he would ban two radical Islamic organizations from Britain and that he planned to bar Muslim clerics who were "not suitable to preach."
Clarke banned a radical Islamic preacher, Omar Bakri Mohammed, from returning to Britain after he traveled to Lebanon. British authorities have also rounded up 10 men for deportation, including Abu Qatada, a radical Islamic cleric who is said to be closely linked to al Qaeda. Taped sermons by Qatada were found in a Hamburg apartment used by several of those who perpetrated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
"I see in this a war on freedom of speech," Azzam Tamimi, a senior leader of the Muslim Association of Britain, said in a telephone interview.
"Prosecuting people for their speech will not prevent a frustrated, angry young man from committing an act of violence," he said. "They don't do it because someone tells them to. They do it because they have no hope."
Liberty, a human rights group in Britain, said Clarke's statement did not provide assurances that those deported would not face torture in their countries of origin. Rights activists have said some countries including Jordan and Algeria, the home nations of many Muslims in Britain, have records on torture.
Clarke has said that Jordan has signed an agreement not to mistreat deportees and that Britain is working on similar agreements with 10 other nations. Rights officials have said such agreements are not reliable.
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LONDON, Aug. 24 -- The British government will deport and ban people who "foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence," the country's top law enforcement official announced Wednesday.
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Robertson Apologizes for Chavez Assassination Remarks
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Richard Cizik , vice-president for governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, was online Thursday, Aug. 25, at noon ET to discuss the backlash against conservative broadcaster Pat Robertson's comments calling for the removal of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Rockville, Md.: Dear Mr. Cizik, I am puzzled about Pat Robertson. It appears that on the one hand, evangelists like Mr. Robertson cultivate a "higher moral authority" image, but, on the other hand, they think little of telling lies (Mr. Robertson denied saying "assassination," in spite of having had his words caught on tape) or of advocating violence in case where it suits them. Is Pat Robertson considered a moral authority in the evangelical community? Can this image be sustained where it is tainted by lies and violence? Thanks.
Richard Cizik: You raise legitimate questions, can an evangelist be a "moral authority" and defy the Scripture? No. And, it would seem that Rev. Robertson agrees, if his apologies means anything. Thanks for your comment.
Ponce, Puerto Rico : Mr. Cizik thank you for taking my question. It might seem humorous, but do you think Rev Robertson missed the Ten Commandments class (assuming he went to Divinity?Theology School)?
Richard Cizik: Yes, Pat has his Masters of Divinity from New York Theological seminary in 1959, and surely studies the Decalogue, probably in Hebrew, as do most seminarians. He's also a graduate of Yale Law School (1955). Either way, brother Pat realizes he transgressed some important rules here and apologized.
Laurel, Md.: Shameful. Absolutely shameful. I assume Pat Robertson is a member. At what point does the National Association of Evangelicals censure members?
Richard Cizik: Actually, the records show that Pat Robertson is not currently a "member" of the NAE, nor is the "700 Club" a member organization. All that we would have, thus, is a kind of moral suasion over his views. At times he's taken us on for our views, such as a recent show on NAE's recent study of climate change.
Silver Spring, Md.: Good afternoon, Mr. Cizik.
Let me start of by saying, if Pat Robertson was not a reverend I would have careless about his comment. But he's a follower, and teacher for our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. My Lord Jesus Christ IS about love and peace. He would never call for anybody to be killed.
Pat Robertson should leave the politics work to the White House, if he's going to be the teacher of God words.
Mr. Cizik which Bible is Pat Robertson reading, and teaching out of? Which Jesus is he following?
Richard Cizik: I would think that Pat Robertson's apology would confirm that he's a believer in Jesus Christ and the Bible. He surely made a mistake, which we at the NAE have called him on, and he's done the right thing, wouldn't you agree? He apologized and presumably learned a lesson on how careful he needs to be with his words. But don't we all?
Washington, D.C.: Politically, I think this story will blow over in a few weeks. The greater damage, I think, will be spiritual, since such a prominent leader in the Christian community made such a ridiculous remark... Do you think there will be any long term damage to Christians' real mission, which is to bring believers to Christ?
Richard Cizik: I am in agreement that this will blow over politically, and that the longer issue is how the comment will be used to discredit the Gospel, or ministers in general. I am worried, as my own comments in the New York Times yesterday reveal, for how some political leaders might use the comments to implicate evangelical missionaries and aid workers. This is a real concern that maybe Pat Robertson's apology might help mitigate.
Washington, D.C.: What exactly is the National Association of Evangelicals? Who or what groups belong to your association?
Richard Cizik: The NAE was founded in 1942 to be a voice for the evangelical cause, and today represents, both through the office for governmental affairs, which I direct, and other ministries, over 45,000 churches, 54 denominations, and a constituency of some 30 million evangelicals.
Fairfax, Va.: I'm not sure I understand why you have a position in government affairs. What sort of affairs would a religious organization have with the government, since the two are supposed to be separate? The reason I ask is because Pat Robertson appears to be using his position as a religious leader as a mechanism for guiding government. Do you think that Pat Robertson should be considered a political pundit rather than a religious leader?
Richard Cizik: I do not have a position in government, but rather serve as a liaison between our respective denominations, churches, and individuals and the government. Hopefully, in circumstances such as these, having an "Office for Governmental Affairs" serves to help clarify what exactly it is that the evangelicals of American believe.
Bethesda, Md.: What is your organization's stance on the war in Iraq? I am sure that you support our troops in harm's way, but what about the war itself? Thank you.
Richard Cizik: The NAE does not have a position per se on the war in Iraq, recognizing that some within our movement support the President, and others, such as historic pacifist denominations, do not.
We recently published a major document entitled "For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Engagement," available at www.nae.net (Click "Govt. Affairs), which enumerates the principles which guide our Association. One of the sections of the 12 page document is on peacemaking.
Charlotte, N.C.: Mr. Cizik, you mention over and over again that Pat Robertson apologized, but how can that apology be deemed as meaningful when he lied and attempted to say he was misrepresented in the reporting of his original statement (which was clearly caught on tape)?
Is an apology wrapped in a lie enough for you to let Pat off the hook on this one? That seems absurd.
Richard Cizik: You raise a legitimate point, namely why didn't Pat Robertson come straight out and apologize, rather than try to say he didn't really mean "kill" Chavez? It seemed an awful lot like the usual mea-culpa in this town in which someone says, "Well, if I hurt anyone..." You have a right to be cynical, although I am not, and try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I've made mistakes, and will so again and yet hope I'd just come clean and say "I was wrong, forgive me." That's the best approach.
Detroit, Mich.: I think many critics of Robertson dismiss him or his comments too quickly and as if the comments are coming from someone who is deranged. I am not an evangelical Christian and I disagree with many of Robertson's views. However, I have seen him a few times on the 700 Club and when he has been interviewed. He is well informed about events, people, politics, etc. concerning issues such as the Middle East: perhaps more so than the many of those in our Federal government. If people want to counteract him, they need to address his his views and comments and not the man.
Richard Cizik: Agreed, it's all too easy in today's society to personalize these conflicts and to let our own emotions carry us down the road to improper responses. There's a willingness on the part of the critics of Pat, including critics of evangelicals generally, to pile on. I sincerely try not to "pile on" with criticism when mainline Protestant or Catholics make a mistake, and thus would urge my friends across the religious and political aisle to grant a little forgiveness here. That said, let the record show that the NAE publicly disagreed (yesterday's New York Times, etc.), by comments by myself and our President Ted Haggard (e.g. CNN, etc.) and needed to do so because of the implications for misunderstanding overseas, particularly in the Muslim world.
Charlottesville, Va.: I am puzzled by the discrepancy between the references on Mr. Robertson's Web site to his 'clarification' of his statement calling for the assassination of Chavez, and the fact the mainstream media is saying he apologized.
Why is it that evangelicals sometimes find it so difficult to admit error, when that very action is a tenet of Christianity? Do they think it would make them weaker?
Richard Cizik: Good question. I think, and you presumably agree, that "confession is good for the soul," as the expression goes. So, that being the case, why not own up right away to our sin, and calling for the assassination of anyone is sinful, apologize and ask for forgiveness.
While I don't know whether he has done so, I'd say that Pat Robertson owes President Hugo Chavez an apology and a request for forgiveness, regardless whether it is accepted or even understood. It would be good for the cause of moral uprightness, social righteousness and biblical justice, as this is what evangelicals stand for.
Ore.: Mr. Cizik, Although I can't think of any practicing Christian I know personally who has advocated killing a head of state, virtually every single one of them is pro-death penalty. How do Christians square this ideology with the teachings of Christ? Moreover, how can they call themselves pro-life at the same time? Thanks.
Richard Cizik: Not every evangelical Christian is in favor of the death penalty, au contraire. There are some conservatives, to be precise, who do not believe that the state should have that kind of power. And, in my own case, I am re-evaluating my own position on the issue, given the inequitable application of the penalty. The NAE, to be clear, has not changed its position, which is that if no crime, no matter how heinous, warrants the death penalty, then the value of life itself is undermined. Lastly, I don't think that its an oxymoron or a contradiction to be "pro-life," to want to protect innocent human life, the unborn, and to sanction the ultimate penalty by the state against wrongdoers or evildoers.
Midland, Mich.: Mr. Robertson should apologize to President Chavez. Listeners may have been "offended" but Mr. Chavez is the one wronged here.
Richard Cizik: Agreed, and note my earlier answer.
Rockville, Md.: You seem like a thoughtful man. Can you give us an idea of what other thoughtful evangelicals are saying among themselves about Robertson?
Richard Cizik: Thanks, and you need to know that there's quite a bit of conversation going on, particularly that Pat made an unfortunate and tragic mistake, yet there's also a willingness to forgive. That said, a wholesale change of leadership is going on with evangelicalism, away from para-church leaders such as Pat Robertson to pastors and others.
You might want to check David Brooks's column in the New York Times entitled "A Natural Alliance" (May 26, 2005) as it talks about this change, particularly how evangelicals have become the leaders on global poverty, human rights, religious persecution, etc. and have been collaborating with liberals for the "common good." Check it out.
Detroit, Mich.: As someone who is a Christian and a Republican, I find it outrageous that Christian Coalition types find it necessary to ram their views and beliefs down society's throats. Equally audacious is the belief that they are right and everyone else is wrong, how ignorant and closeminded is that? These are not the principles that Christianity is based upon, don't you consider this a paradox?
Richard Cizik: You're right that the "religious right" has an image problem, most of its own doing. As for style, I happen to advocate an approach that seeks the common good of society, not simply what I as an evangelical may deem "moral" or "right." In other words, not a zero-sum game style of "winner take all" but a collaborative approach that is inclusive, bipartisan, etc.
Indeed, this new style of politics [post-religious right] has been responsible for evangelicals taking the lead on responding in Congress to religious persecution, HIV/AIDS,human trafficking, genocide in south Sudan and now Darfur, and similar realities in North Korea. This is a far-cry from the kind of politics practiced by others with a more narrow agenda.
Atlanta, Ga.: Well, no, he DIDN'T exactly apologize. He apologized in his web page. On TV, he said that what he said was "take out" a leader like Chavez and that "take out" can mean a whole lot of things. He said is words were misinterpreted by the media, which, he says, happens a lot. I don't call that an apology, I call that being a weasel.
Richard Cizik: Hmm...I didn't realize that Pat hadn't apologized to his listeners, and only on the web. Is that right? If so, then he needs to come clean and apologize on the "700 Club" for all to see and evaluate. I'll have to check this out.
Silver Spring, Md.: What is the deeper story here? Years ago we wondered why Pat Robertson was talking about Liberia. Well, we found out that he was trading blood diamonds with African tyrants. What's his financial stake in Venezuela?
There's more here than just Pat Robertson making outrageous comments.
Richard Cizik: I don't know of any financial interests in Venezuela by Pat Robertson.
New York, N.Y.: I find it interesting that there is a current of disapproval in this chat over the NAE's involvement in government affairs. From what I can see, Catholicism, Judaism, and non-evangelical Christian religions have extensive participation in influencing our government policies.
Richard Cizik: Well, we do have an ongoing "experiment" in this country with religious liberty, and it's a model for the world. All religious groups have equal rights, and a place at the table, not just economically but politically as well.
I'm among those who shun any triumphalism and believe that we can respect, and even learn from other traditions. If there's any current of concern about how we [NAE] do governmental affairs, that individual ought to know that we have been lauded by liberals, such as Nicholas D. Kristof, (NYT), for being the "new internationalists" who can be found in the farthest most reaches of the world aiding the sick, comforting the dying, and generally making a positive different for "the least of these." We've also begun to engage on issues such as climate change, and other unlikely issues, at least by normal expectations about what we are about. Check us out!
Anonymous: Sir, do you have any opinion about the attention this has received in the media? Granted we shouldn't fail to rebuke Christians calling for the assassination of foreign leaders, but in political terms, how prominent a leader is Mr. Robertson today? Does the amount of coverage this comment received reflect how large a role he plays in Republican or conservative politics today?
Richard Cizik: No, clearly the amount of coverage this controversy has received is disproportional with the amount of influence that Pat Robertson has within evangelical circles, as well as politics generally. I don't recall if Pat has ever addressed the NAE, though my tenure here is 25 years. In other words, he would be considered a "friend" of the movement, but surely not a "power broker" or anything of the kind within the NAE.
Bethesda, Md.: Apropos of Pat Robertson, and with your government affairs hat on, do you see reaction to his comments as part of the re-centering of American politics? That is, are we all finally getting sick of the left-left and right-right?
Richard Cizik: Amen. The document "For the Health of the Nation" on our Web site, and the large numbers of signers, both left, right, and center, is indication of a new consensus. Check it out at www.nae.net. You'll like it!
Here's the problem...: I'm a Christian, but not a fan of Pat Robertson's. I read what he said, and I'm having trouble thinking that what he said has no merit. The fact is that the world would be a better place without atheistic dictators like Mr. Chavez is becoming in adulation of Fidel Castro. Isn't removing an obstacle to human suffering a worthwhile goal? Whether than means assassination (and good luck with that!;) or regime change is a matter for the politicians, but Mr. Robertson's point should not be dismissed lightly.
Richard Cizik: Ah, yes, removing suffering is a legitimate goal, but not by assassination. By no means! And, as you seem to acknowledge, it doesn't work [e.g., Cuba, ) or the regime change (e.g., from leftist Allende to right-wing Pinochet) is worse than leaving countries alone to determine their own futures.
For a Christian to advocate violence, such as regime-change by assassination, in such a troubled, violent-prone world, couldn't be more wrong-headed not to mention immoral. Sorry, but I disagree with you.
Credibility: How much does this hurt the credibility of other Evangelical organizations which refused to condemn the call for assassination yesterday? A number claimed to be "too busy" to respond according to press reports.
How can these organizations have any credibility of moral issues or issues of Right To Life if they are "too busy" to make a straightforward statement that of course they condemn calls for assassination?
Richard Cizik: It obviously hurts their credibility, no need for me to say so, however. There is at times a sin of omission, as much as commission, and let's face it, we have no trouble disagreeing with our fellow believers in our churches, so why not publicly disagree with Pat? It is certainly not personal on my part, that is, disagreeing publicly with Pat Robertson, as I have a great deal of love for the man.
Washington, D.C.: Pat Robertson is a brilliant person. He should know that Venezuela's President Chavez was elected twice, there is press freedom, there is economic growth and social success for the poor, and its popularity in Latin America and the Caribbean. What could drive him to make such silly statements?
Richard Cizik: Good question, maybe he should tell us.
Potomac, Md.: Mr. Cizik, You have said that Mr. Robertson is not a member of the NAE, but if he were what would the NAE's actions be? How does the NAE keep its message clear and prevent accidental or intentional statements by its members that go against the NAE's stated stands and policies?
Richard Cizik: Quick answer: by only allowing the staff, or designate officials, to speak to the public about our [NAE] position stands. Make sense?
Richard Cizik: Dear Chat-line friend,
I've got to sign-off but be assured of my appreciation for all your thoughtful and engaging questions and ideas. (I'm told there are lots more than I can even peruse on this site.)
If anyone would like to contact me by e-mail, I can be reached at RCizik@nae.net, with the caveat that you may have to wait some time for an answer. For general information about our work, go to "Governmental Affairs" at www.nae.net.
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.
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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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Watch This Spy Story
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The news media have been worrying this summer about the Valerie Plame leak investigation, which has landed a New York Times reporter in jail. Meanwhile, a potentially far more dangerous threat to the press has emerged in a federal criminal indictment that lists contacts between reporters and sources as "overt acts" in an alleged conspiracy to commit espionage.
The case involves two former officials of a pro-Israel lobbying group, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, and their alleged dissemination of classified information that they received from a former Defense Department analyst named Lawrence Franklin. The Aug. 4 indictment charged that the three disclosed secret information about U.S. policy toward Iran and terrorism to an unnamed foreign power, identified by sources as Israel.
Like the Plame investigation, the indictment is politically sensitive. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, where the two lobbyists worked, is one of the most potent advocacy groups in Washington. AIPAC, as the group is known, fired Rosen and Weissman in April, and the group has seemed eager to distance itself from the fallout of the case. Given the stakes, it has received surprisingly little attention so far in the media.
But a careful reading of the indictment shows that this is a very peculiar case, indeed, and one that could have damaging consequences -- both for the news media and for lobbying groups that depend on regular exchanges of information with government officials. If the prosecution succeeds, it could change the way business is done in Washington.
The heart of the indictment is a conspiracy count, which alleges that "in an effort to influence persons within and outside the United States government, Rosen and Weissman would cultivate relationships with Franklin and others" and then transmit the classified information they obtained "to persons not entitled to receive it." The indictment lists 57 "overt acts" to further this alleged conspiracy.
What should worry the news media is that five of these alleged overt acts involve contacts by Rosen, Weissman or Franklin with unidentified journalists. (A sixth involves a contact with a senior official of an unidentified think tank.) The indictment doesn't allege that these media contacts were illegal in themselves. That's why conspiracy indictments are such convenient catchalls for prosecutors: They can list "overt acts" that aren't illegal as evidence of a conspiratorial plot -- in this case, allegedly to violate the Espionage Act.
One of the unnamed reporters whose contact with Rosen and Weissman is cited in the indictment is Glenn Kessler, a Post diplomatic correspondent. According to a June 3 Post article, the two AIPAC lobbyists jointly called Kessler in July 2004 and relayed information they had received that day from Franklin about possible Iranian attacks against Israelis who were operating undercover in Iraq. Kessler never published an article about the tip.
It turned out the FBI was monitoring the lobbyists' call with Kessler. At that time, Franklin reportedly was cooperating with the government. The FBI apparently had authorized Franklin to give the AIPAC officials the classified information about Iranian threats in Iraq in an effort to "sting" them -- in the expectation that they would transmit the information to the Israeli Embassy, which they allegedly did.
Ironically, Rosen joked in his conversation with Kessler about "not getting in trouble" for transmitting the information and said, "At least we have no Official Secrets Act," according to a partial transcript of the bugged call that was quoted by the JTA (formerly the Jewish Telegraph Agency).
And that's the essential point: We don't have an Official Secrets Act in America that bars disclosure of information except in specific, limited situations -- and that's for good reason. We know that such laws chill the open flow that is essential for a healthy democracy. Explains Kevin Baine, an attorney at Williams & Connolly who advises The Post on this and other First Amendment cases: "If the disclosure of newsworthy information about the national defense to reporters for the purpose of publication can constitute espionage, that places enormous power in the hands of prosecutors, because information about national defense is passed on every day to reporters in this town."
The allegations against Rosen, Weissman and Franklin are serious. The government is right to protect sensitive intelligence about Iran and terrorism from disclosure to foreign countries, even close allies such as Israel. But the indictment of the AIPAC lobbyists crosses a subtle line. It moves beyond protecting information to chilling any discussion of it outside the government's tight circles. Stifling debate about foreign policy is the last thing America needs right now.
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The news media have been worrying this summer about the Valerie Plame leak investigation, which has landed a New York Times reporter in jail. Meanwhile, a potentially far more dangerous threat to the press has emerged in a federal criminal indictment that lists contacts between reporters and...
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Who Will Say 'No More'?
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"Waist deep in the Big Muddy and the big fool said to push on," warned an anti-Vietnam war song those many years ago. The McGovern presidential campaign, in those days, which I know something about, is widely viewed as a cause for the decline of the Democratic Party, a gateway through which a new conservative era entered.
Like the cat that jumped on a hot stove and thereafter wouldn't jump on any stove, hot or cold, today's Democratic leaders didn't want to make that mistake again. Many supported the Iraq war resolution and -- as the Big Muddy is rising yet again -- now find themselves tongue-tied or trying to trump a war president by calling for deployment of more troops. Thus does good money follow bad and bad politics get even worse.
History will deal with George W. Bush and the neoconservatives who misled a mighty nation into a flawed war that is draining the finest military in the world, diverting Guard and reserve forces that should be on the front line of homeland defense, shredding international alliances that prevailed in two world wars and the Cold War, accumulating staggering deficits, misdirecting revenue from education to rebuilding Iraqi buildings we've blown up, and weakening America's national security.
But what will history say about an opposition party that stands silent while all this goes on? My generation of Democrats jumped on the hot stove of Vietnam and now, with its members in positions of responsibility, it is afraid of jumping on any political stove. In their leaders, the American people look for strength, determination and self-confidence, but they also look for courage, wisdom, judgment and, in times of moral crisis, the willingness to say: "I was wrong."
To stay silent during such a crisis, and particularly to harbor the thought that the administration's misfortune is the Democrats' fortune, is cowardly. In 2008 I want a leader who is willing now to say: "I made a mistake, and for my mistake I am going to Iraq and accompanying the next planeload of flag-draped coffins back to Dover Air Force Base. And I am going to ask forgiveness for my mistake from every parent who will talk to me."
Further, this leader should say: "I am now going to give a series of speeches across the country documenting how the administration did not tell the American people the truth, why this war is making our country more vulnerable and less secure, how we can drive a wedge between Iraqi insurgents and outside jihadists and leave Iraq for the Iraqis to govern, how we can repair the damage done to our military, what we and our allies can do to dry up the jihadists' swamp, and what dramatic steps we must take to become energy-secure and prevent Gulf Wars III, IV and so on."
At stake is not just the leadership of the Democratic Party and the nation but our nation's honor, our nobility and our principles. Franklin D. Roosevelt established a national community based on social justice. Harry Truman created international networks that repaired the damage of World War II and defeated communism. John F. Kennedy recaptured the ideal of the republic and the sense of civic duty. To expect to enter this pantheon, the next Democratic leader must now undertake all three tasks.
But this cannot be done while the water is rising in the Big Muddy of the Middle East. No Democrat, especially one now silent, should expect election by default. The public trust must be earned, and speaking clearly, candidly and forcefully now about the mess in Iraq is the place to begin.
The real defeatists today are not those protesting the war. The real defeatists are those in power and their silent supporters in the opposition party who are reduced to repeating "Stay the course" even when the course, whatever it now is, is light years away from the one originally undertaken. The truth is we're way off course. We've stumbled into a hornet's nest. We've weakened ourselves at home and in the world. We are less secure today than before this war began.
Who now has the courage to say this?
The writer is a former Democratic senator from Colorado.
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"Waist deep in the Big Muddy and the big fool said to push on," warned an anti-Vietnam war song those many years ago. The McGovern presidential campaign, in those days, which I know something about, is widely viewed as a cause for the decline of the Democratic Party, a gateway through which a new...
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Chinese Detainees Are Men Without a Country
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In late 2003, the Pentagon quietly decided that 15 Chinese Muslims detained at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, could be released. Five were people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, some of them picked up by Pakistani bounty hunters for U.S. payoffs. The other 10 were deemed low-risk detainees whose enemy was China's communist government -- not the United States, according to senior U.S. officials.
More than 20 months later, the 15 still languish at Guantanamo Bay, imprisoned and sometimes shackled, with most of their families unaware whether they are even alive.
They are men without a country. The Bush administration has chosen not to send them home for fear China will imprison, persecute or torture them, as the United States charges has happened to other members of China's Muslim minority. But the State Department has also been unable to find another country to take them in, according to U.S. officials and recently filed court documents.
Other detainees cleared of terrorism charges have also languished for years at Guantanamo Bay, but all have been sent home or are in the process of being transferred. For the Chinese Uighurs (pronounced WEE-gurs ), there is no end in sight. About 20 countries -- including Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Turkey and a Latin American country -- have turned down U.S. overtures to give them asylum, according to U.S. officials.
The State Department says it is still working behind the scenes to find the Uighurs a home. A senior official called their situation "unfortunate."
This month, lawyers and human rights groups appealed to the United States to take in the stranded Uighurs. "It's not like these people were once considered to be a threat and now are not," said Tom Malinowski of Human Rights Watch. "These people need to be released, either in another country or the U.S. They're America's responsibility."
But the Bush administration has balked at allowing them to enter the United States, even under restricted supervision, or to appear in a court that is hearing two of the men's cases, according to U.S. officials and court documents.
In the meantime, the men are still treated as prisoners. Sabin P. Willett, a Boston lawyer who volunteered to take the cases of two Uighurs in March, finally met with them last month, after he and his team went through their own FBI clearances. One of the Uighurs was "chained to the floor" in a "box with no windows," Willett said in an Aug. 1 court hearing.
"You're not talking about your client?" asked Judge James Robertson of the U.S. District Court in Washington.
"I'm talking about my client," Willett said.
"He was chained to a floor?" Robertson asked again.
"He had a leg shackle that was chained to a bolt in the floor," Willett replied.
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In late 2003, the Pentagon quietly decided that 15 Chinese Muslims detained at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, could be released. Five were people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, some of them picked up by Pakistani bounty hunters for U.S. payoffs. The other 10 were...
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The Fall and Rise of French Bread
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How do you recognize really good French bread? Listen to Steven Kaplan, a Cornell University history professor who has spent much of his life examining that question.
"To me there is nothing more exalting than a good baguette," he says. "Its attractive appearance seduces you and gives you an appetite to go farther. When you squeeze it, its golden brown crust should crackle and even sing. Its aroma should be a little bit sweet, a little bit toasty. There should be a good marriage between its crust and its interior crumb. When the crumb is pressed, it should spring back rapidly. Its color should be off-white and its cavities widely distributed and uneven in size. Its nutty, buttery taste should be both sweet and savory -- like a good chardonnay.
"When you split it down the middle and smell that astonishing bouquet of spices, butter and dried apricots, you say to yourself, 'I'm in heaven.' It's something so delicious you don't need butter, jelly, ham or cheese."
Kaplan's bread obsession has involved decades of research in bakeries, libraries and archives in France. He has investigated the history, significance and symbolism of French bread. He has written five books on the subject, including "Cherchez le Pain," last year's guide to the best bakeries in Paris, for which he applied his own complex rating system to the baguettes at 637 bakeries. In France, he is a television personality, a member of the French Ministry of Culture's Order of Arts and Letters and a gadfly who helped the new generation of French bakers reclaim traditional recipes.
A man with such firm opinions and high standards that the newspaper Le Figaro branded him "the ayatollah of bread," Kaplan does not speak or write about French bread in measured tones.
In his opinion, "About 65 to 70 percent of French bakers are producing a bread that is tasteless."
It's even worse on this side of the Atlantic, he says, where there's no historical memory of good bread and where, in some places, all you can get is plain, sliced supermarket bread. And where, more recently, style-conscious American retailers have adopted the term "artisanal" -- even if the bread hasn't been kneaded, fermented, fashioned and baked where it's sold, without freezing, additives or extra yeast. "There's been a hijacking of the word 'artisanal' on the American landscape," Kaplan says.
In his view, there are two primary culprits: the historical circumstances that led to the decline of bread in France during the 20th century and the current practice of "parbaking," a process used in both countries to produce bread that can seem to be traditionally made.
"Do you know what parbaking is?" he demands, speaking from his apartment in Paris where he spends as much time as he can. "It's the baking of dough that's been rapidly frozen. And that is not artisanal baking, which excludes freezing, which [in turn] impedes the flow of fermentation from reaching its apogee."
"You can get a reasonably edible bread with parbaking," he says, "as long as you don't mind that it's insipid."
Even a purist like Kaplan, however, understands that the mass market is drawn to parbaking because of the related economies of scale, labor, time and cost -- "all the advantages we associate with generic mechanization or industrialization," he says. (In the United States, parbaked breads are sold by some mass retailers, including Vie de France, which employs other methods as well, and Harris Teeter, which sells La Brea Bakery French breads that are parbaked.)
In any case, Kaplan says, the deterioration of French bread started long before parbaking, a result of the food shortages in France during the two world wars. "Both wars were tremendous jolts to the quality of bread," he says. "French bakers had to work with very, very lousy flour. There was a loss of competence and capacity for ancestral skills, and the French forgot what bread should taste like. There was a real amnesia."
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How do you recognize really good French bread? Listen to Steven Kaplan, a Cornell University history professor who has spent much of his life examining that question.
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Just Chute Me
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As I stood at the edge of the airplane's open door, the wind bit my face and sucked what I thought was my last gasp of breath. Yes, I was harnessed to the belly of an expert sky diver, but together we were about to hurl ourselves to earth 13,000 feet below, supported only by the air that would billow a piece of synthetic fabric.
I gazed down on the patchwork of farms and forests, and I felt my first moment of hesitation about a jump for which I had long yearned. Instinct and the will to live gripped my legs; rationality whispered that maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. But thoughts of survival quickly succumbed to anticipation and excitement. At any rate, suddenly there was no more time to think or even feel -- my tandem partner hurled his 175 pounds out of the plane, and I went with him.
Earlier that day, as my boyfriend, Perry, and I drove two hours south of Washington on a clear and sunny Saturday morning, I had pondered the question my friends and family had asked about our trip out to little Orange, Va. Exactly why do I so want to throw myself from a soaring airplane?
Well, I love heights and speed, I told them. What better combines the two than sky diving? I'm not into extreme sports, but I love vistas as much as an acrophobe loves solid ground. But neither was the complete answer.
It goes back 20 years, to when I was a cub newspaper reporter writing a feature article about a military air show. I got a chance to report the story directly from the belly of a C-130 cargo plane, where I watched soldiers parachute from a cavernous side door into the wild blue yonder. I was safely belted to a seat at the opening edge, but as I witnessed the men drop into oblivion, I wondered what that could possibly be like. And I've had a hankering ever since to know.
So when Perry called my bluff and booked reservations at an outfitter called Skydive Orange, just south of Culpeper, I jumped (pun intended) at the chance. As we left Washington and the city gave way to shopping malls and then the rolling bucolic hills of the Blue Ridge, my excitement and last-minute apprehension began building. When we finally got to the large airplane hangar that is the outfitter's headquarters, it was already filled with men and women clad in jumpsuits preparing for the next flight.
These days, anyone can sky dive without much planning or effort beyond booking a reservation. Until 20 years ago, new jumpers were required to attend six hours of classes for a risky solo jump from an altitude of 3,000 feet. Within seconds after jumping, a static line attached to the plane would pop the parachute, and the jumper would float down and clumsily navigate the landing, frequently missing the target.
Today, with the advent of tandem jumping -- whereby a novice can dive with an instructor -- and refined and more reliable canopy equipment, jumpers simply show up, attend a 10-minute briefing about simple rules and procedures, watch a film about the jump, sign seemingly endless liability forms and off they go. Tandem jumping opened the sport to the common thrill-seeker.
However, a cheap thrill it's not. First-time tandem jumps range from $165 to $235. An accompanying photographer can click stills or film videos of your jump for an extra $100 to $150.
For those still faint of heart, the following may be one final reason to consider not sky diving: The parachute for Perry and his instructor failed to open properly. Perry said later that he first noticed something was amiss when his instructor spouted an expletive after attempting to deploy the parachute, only to find the lines tangled above their heads. Perry said he uttered, "Houston, we have a problem," as he watched the instructor frantically jostle the cords.
The duo plunged 2,000 feet, and the instructor was moments away from releasing his reserve chute when the cords popped into place and the main parachute filled like a balloon. They floated safely to the landing target, arriving before I did -- even though I had jumped first -- because of their extra, unintentional free-fall time. But the expert was so shaken by the rare event that he collected his paycheck, packed up his gear and headed home, declaring he would make no more jumps that day.
Perry was amazingly calm and collected. He even laughed about the mishap.
Before our jump, as I wormed into my jumpsuit, skullcap and goggles, I asked my tandem jumper, Nick Kaminski, questions about his ability and confidence -- which would need to become mine. "I make six to 12 jumps a day, and I've been jumping for 13 years," he said in a cavalier yet professional tone. The outfitting company, affiliated with the U.S. Parachute Association, chalks up about 20,000 free-fall jumps a year. And the day we chose offered perfect conditions -- a slight breeze and sunshine. The trip would have been rescheduled if weather conditions were considered too windy, lightning-filled or otherwise dangerous. Ten of us boarded a deHavilland Twin Otter, which has twin turboprop engines for fast climbing and was the type of plane used in the 2001 rescue of physician Ronald S. Shemenski from the South Pole. If it was good enough for Dr. Shemenski and Nick, it was good enough for me, even though a plaque in the plane read, "Never underestimate the stupidity of a group of people."
We ascended to 13,000 feet and Nick said it was time for him to strap his belly to my back so we could be the first pair to jump. Once I heard the harness clips click, I knew there was no turning back. Pinned together, we shuffled to the open door -- and jumped. Just like that. We arched our backs in a spread-eagle position as we spiraled down. There was a powerful surge of air that scoured my teeth and stretched my skin while we fell at a speed of 120 mph for 50 long, and yet simultaneously short, seconds. The rush of adrenaline and exhilaration was more forceful than the uncontrollable pull of gravity, but there was little sensation of actual falling or heights. Instead, it felt like lying on a bed of air as I could see the ground in the far distance closing in. I screamed with excitement, but my scream was instantly sucked into the rushing air.
At some point, my heart and mind seemed to leave my body, return and leave again. Time did not exist. Seconds felt like hours, minutes like seconds. If Nick had not told me before that our free fall would last one minute, I never would have been able to recount how long we rushed toward earth unsupported.
At 5,000 feet, Nick deployed the main parachute on his back. With a quick tug, we were set upright and began a four-minute floating descent. Unlike the free fall, it was perfectly quiet and serene. All my senses and bearings returned.
"This is beautiful," I said. "I guess you know you have a great job."
"Yeah," he said. "Nice corner office view." He taught me how to use the hand toggles to steer the parachute to the right and left and bring it to an almost complete midair stop. We landed as gently as if stepping from a carriage, within 50 yards of the hangar. It was all over too soon.
After 20 years, my curiosity and pursuit of thrill had been more than satisfied. And even with Perry's delayed parachute opening, I could not stop thinking during the drive home about how much I wanted to do this again.
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For those who have pondered the idea of hurtling themselves toward earth after exiting a flying airplane, read Anne Farris's account of her first sky dive.
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New Fuel Economy Standards Proposed
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The Bush administration proposed higher fuel economy standards for SUVs and minivans yesterday with a new regulatory system that sets different mileage goals for six sizes of vehicles, replacing the current single standard for all light trucks.
Administration officials say the regulations would result in more fuel savings than any previous increase in efficiency standards for larger vehicles. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said the rules would save 10 billion gallons of gasoline and "result in less pain at the pump for motorists, without sacrificing safety."
But environmentalists say the complex proposal adds up to little real change and continues to reward Detroit for building bigger vehicles. It also addresses the complaint of U.S. automakers that it's easier for foreign-owned manufacturers to meet existing standards because they sell fewer large trucks.
"The proposal is almost embarrassing in terms of its effect on fuel consumption," said Eric Haxthausen, an economist with Environmental Defense of Washington. He called the 10 billion gallons of fuel savings a "weak yardstick" because it would be spread over as long as 15 years. Last year, for instance, U.S. drivers consumed nearly 140 billion gallons of gas, according to federal Energy Information Administration. "We can and should do better," Haxthausen said.
The measure comes at a time when U.S. drivers are coping with skyrocketing gas prices and often blaming President Bush for their plight. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) said the Bush administration has made "a huge policy reversal" after blocking efforts in Congress earlier this year to tighten fuel economy standards.
"The administration and the leaders fought this in the energy bill," he said. "I'm happy to see them coming around to it now. Better late than never."
The plan would do away with an industry-wide corporate average fuel efficiency -- or CAFE -- standard for vehicles classified as light trucks, which includes SUVs, pickup trucks, minivans and other models that now make up more than half of all new vehicles sold in the United States. Instead, fuel economy would be calculated for six different segments of these vehicles, from the smallest, such as the Chrysler PT Cruiser and the Toyota Rav4, to the biggest, such as the GM Silverado and Nissan Titan.
Each automaker would also be given an average fuel economy goal for its particular mix of vehicle sales.
Under current standards, automakers must maintain an average of 27.5 miles per gallon for passenger cars and 21 mpg for light trucks. The light-truck standard is already scheduled to rise to 22.2 mpg for the 2007 model year.
The new regulations would start affecting light trucks in the 2008 model year, and all such vehicles would have to comply by 2011 models. For the smallest category of trucks, the final fuel efficiency target would be 28.4 mpg; for the largest SUVs and pickups, it would be 21.3 mpg.
The proposal is submitted for public comment until Nov. 22, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hopes to issue a final rule by next April.
Big American automakers have historically fought tougher fuel standards, saying it is costly to reengineer cars and trucks to comply.
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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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Report Fans Flames in D.C. School Funding Debate
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A newly released report by a Washington-based think tank added fuel yesterday to a running debate on whether the District's charter schools receive a fair share of public education dollars.
The study by the Washington-based Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an organization that supports school reform, says that charter schools in the District and states throughout the country receive less per-pupil funding than regular public schools in the same jurisdictions. It said the funding gap in the District was $3,552 per student, higher than the average disparity of $1,801.
But in releasing the report yesterday, the institute's researchers acknowledged that it was based on data from 2002-03 and that the funding of D.C. charter schools -- particularly their facilities allowance -- has increased significantly since then. In fact, the charter school movement here in some respects is a model for the nation, officials at the think tank said.
"D.C. has one of the most equitable funding mechanisms across the land," said Mike Petrilli, vice president for national programs and policy at the Fordham Institute. "Local and federal officials should be congratulated for that."
Nevertheless, the report sparked renewed debate on whether the distribution of public dollars between D.C. charter and regular schools is fair, with some saying that the regular schools are getting shortchanged.
D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) said he has not seen the study, but he disputed the notion that charter schools in the District receive significantly less per-pupil funding than traditional public schools.
By coincidence, Williams and a U.S. Department of Education official appeared yesterday morning at the Elsie Whitlow Stokes public charter school in Northwest Washington to announce that the city will receive an annual federal grant of $5 million for the next three years to help fund salaries and programs at new charter schools. The District has received similar awards over the past decade.
Williams praised the performance of D.C. charter schools, which enroll more than 15,000 students, or about 21 percent of total public school enrollment.
The mayor also said he disagreed with some city leaders, including Council Chairman Linda W. Cropp (D), who have argued that the growth of charter schools could cause further deterioration of the traditional public school system.
"I think the best prescription for the system is to get competitive. . . . I think just artificially saying that we're going to shut off access and options for parents limits choices because it doesn't motivate the existing system to get its act together and continue to improve," Williams said.
Williams said he will try to persuade Cropp, who is expected to announce her campaign for mayor next month, to change her view of charter schools. "I hope . . . if I decide not to run, as a private citizen, I could convince her to feel differently," he said.
Council member Kathy Patterson (D-Ward 3), who chairs the education committee, has scheduled a hearing Oct. 6 to look into various aspects of the D.C. charter school law, including funding.
Charter schools are publicly funded but independently run and are exempt from many local and state education regulations.
The institute's 141-page report covers the District and the 16 states with the largest charter school enrollments. It concludes that in all but one of those jurisdictions, charter schools received less per-pupil funding than regular public schools, despite requirements for equal funding. Researchers attributed the disparity largely to the charter schools' inability to gain access to funding for capital expenses.
Brenda L. Belton, executive director of the D.C. Board of Education's charter school office, said the D.C. Council approved a $2,800-per-student allotment that charter schools can use to construct, purchase or lease a facility. The institute's researchers acknowledged that their data were from an earlier school year.
"No other state provides that," Belton said of the allotment. "The only problem is that you're in a hot real estate market, and the money doesn't buy you much."
Gina Arlotto, co-founder and president of Save Our Schools, a group that has filed a lawsuit against the city alleging that traditional public schools are losing money to charter schools, said the facilities allowance is too generous.
Arlotto noted that city officials calculated the charters' allowance based on the regular school system's capital budget. She said the calculations were flawed because the capital spending for that period included several construction projects that were wildly over budget.
"Charter schools see themselves as the poor stepchild of the D.C. education scene. It's simply not true," she said.
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A newly released report by a Washington-based think tank added fuel yesterday to a running debate on whether the District's charter schools receive a fair share of public education dollars.
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U.S. to Beef Up Border Force
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A week after Arizona's governor declared a state of emergency in counties bordering Mexico, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed yesterday that it agreed to strengthen its law enforcement presence in areas that are experiencing high levels of illegal immigration.
In a letter sent Monday to Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D), DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said Immigration and Customs Enforcement will train local investigators to deal with human trafficking in Phoenix.
The Border Patrol will allow its officers to help local police patrol main highways used by illegal immigrants. DHS also agreed to a state proposal that would allow the state to help ICE transport undocumented immigrants.
DHS spokesman Russ Knocke said the department had placed "a greater priority on border security" well before Napolitano declared a state of emergency.
"We've added 534 new Border Patrol agents in Arizona and 23 new aircraft," he said. "We're very aware of the frustration that exists along the border and we share some of those frustrations."
During an interview yesterday at The Washington Post, Napolitano said Arizona public safety officials had for months offered to assist DHS in rounding up immigrants who had crossed the border illegally but got no response.
In a terse Aug. 11 letter to Chertoff, she said her office met with Border Patrol officials who "indicated the agency is not interested in participating" in a joint effort to target human traffickers. In the letter, Napolitano said ICE representatives were not interested in exploring a joint operation in Phoenix, where human smugglers maintain safe houses for transient immigrants.
"This bewildering resistance is a further example of ICE's inattention to Arizona," she said.
Two days after the letter, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) declared a state of emergency along the Mexico border. Napolitano did the same two days later.
The declarations allow the governors to spend nearly $1.5 million each to hire more police, buy vehicles and otherwise shore up law enforcement in counties that border Mexico. A Richardson spokesman said Chertoff called the governor yesterday and assured him that security along the border is a priority for DHS and that some of the 1,000 border patrol agents expected to be added next year will be posted to New Mexico. Chertoff also said an analysis is nearly completed on how best to integrate technology and personnel to stop illegal immigration, said Billy Sparks, Richardson's deputy chief of staff.
Arizona officials say the porous border burdens police, who have recorded about 510,000 arrests since Oct. 1. In New Mexico, ranchers allege that as many as 30 illegal immigrants run across their property each night.
The governors called for remedies to border security that echo in legislation proposed by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.).
The senators proposed a guest worker program that would allow new immigrants to work jobs that U.S. citizens do not want. Undocumented immigrants living and working illegally would pay a penalty for breaking the law and go to the back of the job line, behind new immigrants.
Conservative critics accused Napolitano and Richardson of trying to embarrass the Republican Bush administration on an issue the president cares about. In an interview yesterday at The Post, Napolitano responded: "If it wakes George Bush up, then I think I did the right thing."
Knocke said the administration is making strides in improving border security. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the government has expanded the Border Patrol's size and has increased spending by 58 percent, he said.
"We are encouraging those states that want to work with us," Knocke said.
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A week after Arizona's governor declared a state of emergency in counties bordering Mexico, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed yesterday that it agreed to strengthen its law enforcement presence in areas that are experiencing high levels of illegal immigration.
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Specter Hints at What Roberts Can Expect
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The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman warned Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. yesterday to expect tough questions about the court's "judicial activism" and lack of respect for Congress.
The comments mark the second time this month that Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) has signaled plans to use Roberts's confirmation hearing as a forum for sharply criticizing what Specter describes as the high court's tendency to denigrate Congress's thoroughness and wisdom in passing various laws. Specter's questions could present Roberts with the difficult choice of disagreeing with the committee chairman or rebuking justices he hopes will soon be his colleagues. The committee's hearing begins Sept. 6.
In a four-page letter to Roberts, Specter criticized portions of Supreme Court rulings and comments on two cases involving the Americans With Disabilities Act, which Congress passed in 1990. "I am concerned about the Supreme Court's judicial activism which has usurped congressional authority," Specter wrote. Endorsing language from a dissenting opinion in a 2004 case, Tennessee v. Lane , the senator said the court has "set itself up as 'taskmaster' to determine whether Congress has done its 'homework,' which demonstrates lack of respect" for the legislative branch.
Specter particularly criticized Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist's writings in a 2000 decision, United States v. Morrison , involving the Violence Against Women Act. He told Roberts he will ask whether he agrees that Rehnquist's reasoning is an example "of manufactured rationales used by the Supreme Court to exercise the role of super legislature." Specter's letter did not address the courts' rulings so much as justices' comments that he says show a disrespect for Congress and its diligence in making laws. He praised a dissenting opinion in a 2001 disabilities case that said courts should not "sit as a superlegislature to judge the wisdom or desirability of legislative policy determinations."
On Aug. 8 Specter sent Roberts a similar letter regarding Supreme Court cases that overturned laws dealing with interstate commerce. "Members of Congress are irate about the Court's denigrating and, really, disrespectful statements about Congress's competence," Specter wrote then. He said Roberts will be asked whether there is "any real justification for the Court's denigrating Congress's 'method of reasoning' in our constitutional structure of separation of power."
Judiciary Committee member Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) praised both of Specter's letters yesterday. Specter, he said, "has made it clear that learning a nominee's judicial philosophy on important cases is essential in deciding whether or not he should be confirmed to a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court."
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Glee and Anger Greet Iraq's Draft Charter
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BAGHDAD, Aug. 23 -- A new draft constitution that would transform Iraq into a loose federal union sparked celebrations Tuesday in the streets of the Shiite south and an angry rally in the Sunni Arab heartland, where some chanted for the return of Saddam Hussein.
U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, called instrumental by all sides in prodding the constitution toward completion, defended it against complaints that it gave Islamic law too much power, particularly over women. Khalilzad said the draft was "right for Iraq at the present time."
Shiite leaders submitted the draft to the National Assembly before a midnight Monday deadline but agreed to put off an assembly vote until Thursday. Many Sunni Arabs expressed outrage that the deal reached by the Shiites and their Kurdish allies overrode Sunni Arab objections to a federal system that Sunnis say would divide Iraq. But the Shiites made clear Tuesday that they intended to make no major concessions to the Sunnis.
"The draft that was submitted is approximately the draft that will be implemented," said Laith Kubba, spokesman for Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari, whose Shiite coalition holds a majority of seats in the assembly.
"The idea is to try to sell this draft to the Sunnis," Kubba said of the three-day delay on the vote. "That's what this is all about."
"During coming days, we will have a dialogue to convince them, in fact, that federalism is not to divide Iraq," said Humam Hamoudi, the Shiite chairman of the constitutional committee.
Many Sunni Arabs want Iraq to remain under a strong central government. Sunnis dominated the country until the overthrow of Hussein by U.S.-led forces in 2003, and extremists among them are the mainstays of Iraq's two-year-old insurgency. Sunnis overwhelmingly boycotted national elections in January, leaving them with little political clout as Iraq wrote its new constitution. Many fear federalism will complete their marginalization, stranding them in a weak, resource-poor region between the Kurdish north and Shiite southwest.
In the latest political violence, a suicide bomber in the central city of Baqubah killed four Iraqi government employees, an Iraqi police officer, a U.S. soldier and an American contractor. A military statement said the bomber blew himself up in an Iraqi-U.S. coordination office.
Meanwhile, the military said, two Marines were killed in roadside bombings: one Sunday near Karmah, about 50 miles west of Baghdad, and one Monday near Fallujah, about 35 miles west of Baghdad.
Though the draft constitution has yet to be approved, its presentation on Monday -- scrawled with handwritten amendments in the hours before the midnight deadline -- kept Iraq roughly on a U.S.-backed timeline that requires that the document be put to a popular vote by Oct. 15.
Voter approval of the constitution would mean elections for a new, full-term assembly in December. Rejection would mean dissolving the current transitional government and parliament and electing new transitional bodies that would make another try at a constitution.
President Bush and U.S. military leaders have pushed Iraq to stay on schedule to make possible substantial withdrawals of the 138,000 U.S. troops now in Iraq. In Idaho, Bush praised Iraqi negotiators despite the second delay of the assembly vote. "The fact that they're even writing a constitution is vastly different from living under the iron hand of a dictator," he said.
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BAGHDAD, Aug. 23 -- A new draft constitution that would transform Iraq into a loose federal union sparked celebrations Tuesday in the streets of the Shiite south and an angry rally in the Sunni Arab heartland, where some chanted for the return of Saddam Hussein.
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New Wives Bring New Hope to Sri Lankan Widowers
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PASSIKUDAH, Sri Lanka -- Plunged into despair after the tsunami killed his wife and two of his four children, Ruknadhan Nahamani passed the first months after the disaster in an alcoholic fog, drowning his sorrows in the potent local liquor known as arrack . But grief was only part of the problem, he said.
"There was nobody to wash my clothes and take care of my kids when I went out to work," said the wiry 32-year-old fisherman, whose teeth are stained red from chewing betel nut, a mild stimulant. "It was really difficult."
But Nahamani is a single parent no more. In June, he exchanged wedding vows and jasmine garlands at a Hindu temple with a woman from a nearby village. "We are very happy," he said outside his tent at a refugee camp as his new wife, Leelawathi, heated cooking oil for the evening meal.
Such expedited remarriages raise no eyebrows in Sri Lanka, where, for many men, the solution to the loss of a wife in the Dec. 26 disaster is not to spend time in prolonged mourning but simply to find a new spouse as quickly as possible.
The result in many battered communities is a proliferation of weddings, especially among widowers with young children, who are typically taking new brides even before they have moved into permanent housing or resumed any semblance of normal life, according to aid workers and government officials.
Although there are no nationwide data on the phenomenon, the anecdotal evidence is striking: In this village, 31 of the 37 men whose wives died in the tsunami have remarried, according to local officials and aid workers.
The tsunami killed more than 30,000 people in this island nation of 20 million. An estimated 800,000 people were left homeless and many have not received permanent housing.
"The guys who have remarried, the widowers, are doing pretty well," said Rednan Alahudurai, the deputy village head. "They are getting on with life."
Besides a pragmatic need for help around the house by men who are used to leaving such matters to their wives, the trend also reflects the demographic fallout from Sri Lanka's 20-year civil war, which has left the country with a surplus of marriageable young women, according to Darini Senanayake, a Princeton-educated anthropologist in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital.
Women who lost husbands in the tsunami face a much harder road. Not only have they suddenly been thrust into the role of family breadwinner, but widows are often regarded as undesirable spouses in Sri Lanka and, in any case, tend to be reluctant to allow a new man into their home for fear of how he will treat his stepchildren, according to Senanayake and other experts.
"The women are stuck," said Alahudurai, the village official. "They have just given up on the thought of marriage."
Before the tsunami, Passikudah was a poor but beautiful place, dense with palm trees and foraging cows, on an isolated, windswept spur about 140 miles east of Colombo. Though tourists had lately begun to discover the area, most men earned their livings as fishermen, casting weighted nets from the beach or spending long hours at sea in slender outrigger canoes.
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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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Real Wheels
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Warren Brown talks about all your automobile issues! He has been covering the automobile industry for The Washington Post since 1982. Brown, who joined the newspaper in 1976, has what many people think is a particularly cool job: He gets to test drive all manner of cars, from top-of-the-line Mercedes sedans and the newest sports cars to Volkswagen Beetles and SUVs. His auto reviews are lively, detailed accounts of a car's good and bad points, addressing everything from a car's highway performance to its "head-turning" factor and sound system.
Join Brown online Wednesdays at 11 a.m. ET to answer your questions on every aspect of the automotive industry -- from buying your dream car to the future of the internal combustion engine.
washingtonpost.com: This discussion will begin momentarily.
Warren Brown: Are you tired of the usual run of Car of the Year and Truck of the Year Awards? Would you like to change all that? I have gathered together a like-minded group of automotive journalists who would. We'd like to establish The Common Sense Awards, for Common Sense Car of the Year and Common Sense Truck of the Year.
We aren't looking at anything that costs more than $60,000. The way we figure it, any car company that can't make a good car or truck for $60,000 shouldn't be in business.
Besides, the average transaction price for a new tar is $22,6000, in that neighborhood. We'll spend lots of time looking at those models, as well as less-expensive vehicles.
. Fuel economy, safety, utility and reliability.
. Curb appeal, because neither common sense nor safe sex have to be boring.
. Readership, listenership, chat line participation. In other words, you all, because you are the people buying the cars and trucks. We will accept nominations beginning now through September 30. We will choose 10. Nominations are to be sent to andrea.browne@wpni.com, to me at warbro70@aol.com and to Lou An Hammond at www.carlist.com.
We will announce the winner--without expensive hooopla, trophies or ceremony--at the D.C. Auto Show in January.
How about it? Are you game? Let's play!
Falls Church, Va.: Please help. Baby number two is coming soon, and we need a new car. Mommy already has an SUV to haul the kids and stuff. Car number two needs to be roomy. Mommy will not accept a minivan, so we are focusing on big sedans. We are looking at the Chrysler 300 and the new Toyota Avalon. We like the style of the 300 (and it is surprisingly big), and we like the reliability of the Toyota. What should we do?
Warren Brown: First, congratulations on Baby Number Two. If it's a boy, I like the name, Warren. If it's a girl, I have a fond affection for Katharine. Just a thought.
On the car: Both the Avalon and the 300 are equally reliable in my book. If you want a Buick with a Toyota Badge--a very good "Buick--buy the Avalon. But if you want some really good, make-you-smile, all-American fun, get the 300. Stick with the V-6 in the 300. There is enough power there to get you where you have to go. yes, I love the V-8 Hemi--but at $3.00 a gallon with a second baby, that might not be a good idea.
Bethesda, Md.: Warren, What's your own best guess as to when a newly re-designed BMW M3 will come out? The lease is up on my 2003 M3 in May 2006 and I love love love the M's.
Warren Brown: Looks like Spring 2006 as a 2007 model. But I will recheck.
Manassas, Va.: Good morning! I am beginning to read a few mostly glowing reviews of the 2006 Mazda MX-5 (formerly known as the Miata). I want to buy a roadster for my wife and I was considering a 2005 Porsche boxster. Now I am wondering if I should save the extra $25,000 and buy the Miata ... oops ... MX-5. Have you driven the new Mazda? What do you think? I know these cars are not in the same class but do you think the Porsche is worth $25K extra?
Warren Brown: Good morning, Manassas:
Yes, I've driven the MX-5; and, yes, the glowing reports have an honest warmth. The new MX-5 is bigger than its predecessor, more accommodating. Yet, even with its increase in size, it is every bit, if not more sporting than the previous model on the road. After driving it, I see no real reason to spend substantially more. Driving a roadster, after all, is a poetic experience. The idea isn't to win races.
But the MX-5 will have ample competition, I think, with the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky.
Bottom line: There is no need to spend $50,000 for a roadster with the new MX-5, Solstice and Sky in the market.
I think Acura made a boo-boo with the RL. It is no larger than the TL, has merely adequate power and is rather anonymous with the so-so styling. No wonder it is not selling well. Am I right?
Warren Brown: You are right and wrong.
The boo-boo might be the price point, of $48,900. It's hard to get people to think in those terms about what essentially is a Honda done exceptionally well.
You are wrong, because the RL is an excellently crafted automobile--perhaps a bit too rich for its neighborhood-but an excellently crafted lux-mobile nonetheless.
The styling is typically Honda, inoffensive and designed to stay that way.
Germantown, Md.: Warren I love your chats. Thanks for all the great advice. Here is my question ... I have a 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse that I have loved owning/driving and although I've had some serious repair work recently (head gasket at 80k miles) I would still consider the 6+ years I've owned her to have been relatively low maintenance. Can you give me any idea as to whether the new Eclipse will workout to be a quality product? I love the styling and handling but I'm aware of the recent recalls. Your thoughts?
Despite it's terribly rough market launch--what was it, three recalls?--the new Mitsubishi Eclipse finally seems to be getting on track. Mitsubishi is doing everything in its power to make a go of this car, roughly priced $20,000 to $30,000. But I like its overall design and performance, although I don't think it's the autobahn burner the company portrays in its ads. It's just a good, fun sports car with very decent performance, available with a 2,4-liter four (165 hp) or 3.8-liter V-6 (280 hp) engine.
Germantown, Md.: You told an earlier poster "If you want a Buick with a Toyota badge --a very good Buick -- buy the Avalon." Is the Avalon a joint venture? If so, what is the corresponding Buick?
No, the Avalon is not a joint venture. It's just an excellent copy of an all-American idea that is still selling well as the Buick Le Sabre and the Buick La Crosse. I'd cross-shop all of those cars before making my purchase. I think you will be very surprised.
Cleveland Park, D.C.: Hey there Warren,
I am an opinionated person and think, from a purely aesthetic standpoint, that the Ford Freestyle and Chrysler Pacifica are some of the most appallingly ugly cars I have ever seen. I was wondering how they are selling?
Warren Brown: I, too, am a very opinionated person, which is why the human resources people at The Washington Post finally thought it was a good idea to make me a columnist, instead of keeping me as an "objective" reporter, whatever that is.
The Freestyle's styling is ascetic suburban, the essence of what I call the Convent-Rectory School of Design. No sex appeal whatsoever. But the interior is well done.
I like the Chrysler Pacifica's styling. I'm not wild about it. But it's quite acceptable.
My husband and I also have baby #2 on the way and are weighing the option of buying a Honda Accord hybrid -- good fuel economy and big enough for two kids. Thoughts?
Warren Brown: The Honda Accord hybrid is one of the few hybrid cars that make any real sense to me from the perspectives of price and overall performance. I like this one and would recommend it highly.
Maryland: "Aggressive Drivers Oblivious to High Fuel Prices" column -- were you driving the speed limit or going 10 mph over? How fast were the other drivers going?
washingtonpost.com: Aggressive Drivers Oblivious to High Fuel Prices (Post, August 21)
Warren Brown: I did the idiot thing and tried to go the posted speed limits on both I-95 and the New Jersey Turnpike--and practically got run over. No one showed any mercy or kindness. Drivers in small cars, large cars, big and small trucks, hybrids and otherwise all treated me as an unwelcome nuisance--and I was driving in the right lane initially.
I picked up speed and moved to the middle lane--where middle lanes were available on I-95 North and the New Jersey Turnpike. There, I learned why there is no peace in the Middle East, or anywhere else. Neutrality is a fool's game. No one respects borders. Trying to be a dove in a nest of eagles is simply waiting around to be somebody's lunch.
Finally, on the New jersey Turnpike, I started driving the way I normally drive--75 mph-80 mph--and that is where I found peace. But even at that speed, I was still getting passed and tailgated--just not as much.
People bellyache about fuel prices. But on the road, they drive in a manner that wastes fuel and has the potential for wasting lives. It's insane!!
Montgomery Village, Md.: I was thinking of purchasing a used Cadillac Deville maybe an '02 DTS. Any thoughts on this vehicle? Good, bad? Overall?
Warren Brown: It's a good, big, soft, comfortable car. And with the O2 models, Cadillac finally got its act together on fit and finish, although some critics say that interior materials are inferior to that in comparable luxury cars.
D.C.: Hiya Warren! When, if ever, would you consider buying a classic car from the 1950s instead of a good late model used car? The 50s cars are way cool, with lots of style and unique features. Most everything in late model used cars in the $20k and under range look like Camrys. There's nothing wrong with looking like a Camry, but if you are looking like a Camry, you might as well buy a Camry. Whaddya think? Is a $15-$20k car from the 1950s ever worth it?
Warren Brown: I love looking at classic cars; but I have neither the skill, money, patience nor time to work on them. Those cars are labors of love; and love is demanding. If you have another Love in your life, you'd better check with that person before latching onto a classic car. I've seen affairs with those cars--and all the time and money they demand--lead to classic divorces. No, I'm not joking. Beware.
I recently, crashed my 1998 Seville SLS. I am looking for another car with the prestige of the Caddie, without the Caddie pricing. I want power and style is there anything out there in the $25,000 range that will make me happy.
Warren Brown: Yes. The Chrysler 300, equipped with a 2.7-liter V-6 (190 hp.) And, hey, don't let the throttle jockeys razz you. You can go to jail in that one just as quickly as you can in 300 C with its Hemi 5.7-liter V-8 (340 hp). But, at least with the V-6 300, you would have saved enough money at the gas pump to pay your bail.
Arlington, Va.: Warren, Love the "Common Sense Car of the Year" contest. In fact, I can't wait because I want to buy this car ASAP! I've been looking for something that's more comfortable, with a few more amenities than the Civic/Saturn/Corolla crowd, but just as reliable and that LOOKS GOOD. So far, nothing has turned my head. If I find something, I'll submit for the contest.
Warren Brown: Please do, and encourage your friends to participate. Look, this is the deal: You look at the run of Cars of the Year and Trucks of the Year over the years, and what do you see? Mostly the kinds of vehicles that guys who like cars, but who don't buy many of them, love. How many of us really can afford a $40,000, $60,000, or even more expensive car or truck? Why not concentrate on vehicles that people actually can buy in reasonable numbers? And why do we need all of this Hollywood, Academy Award hoopla just to announce that, hey: These are the cars and trucks we like best, because they make sense to us?
All we need to do, with your help dear audience, is choose some winners, make a simple announcement in The Washington Post, Washingtonpost.com, ABC Radio and carlist.com, and let that be that.
By the way, how many of you actually went out and bought a car because it was named "Car of the Year."?
I am a fan of both your columns and online chat. Quick question -- I am trying to choose between getting either a Nissan 350Z or the Audi TT (coupe models). What are your thoughts? Thanks.
But I loathe VW service.
And I stand ready and willing to change that opinion if someone, anyone at VW, can show me why I'm wrong.
Falls Church, Va.: I heard from a co-worker, who heard it from her boyfriends boss... that Mercedes Corporation will give free loaners to ANYONE who brings in a Benz to a dealership shop for service. REGARDLESS of the age of the car, repairs needed, or active warranty status. Is this correct because I have a 1983, 380SL with a persistent engine flutter which my mechanic can't get rid or? If I can get a loaner I would consider using a real Benz shop.
Warren Brown: I haven't heard that...well...not quite that.
I do have a dear friend...Mrs. I.J....who has been having trouble with her M-B air conditioner, which no one at a Certain Maryland Dealership seems to know how to fix.
This is a very patient woman, a longtime M-B customer who, in my opinion, has been treated quite miserably by this Certain Maryland Dealership. (In the future, you folks at that Certain Maryland Dealership should give your customers the simple courtesy of looking at them and listening to them when they are speaking to you. This business of pretending to be busy with paper work when a customer is speaking to you is rude beyond measure. STOP IT!!!)
Anyway, this Certain Maryland Dealership did give Mrs. I.J. a loaner. Considering the overall disreputable manner in which they treated the woman, that was the least they could do.
Washington, D.C.: Any cars you'd be tempted to grab before the employee discount pricing promotions end?
Warren Brown: Yeah, the Chevrolet Impala SS.
But Mary Anne already has grabbed my wallet and is using its meager contents to do stuff to the house.
Fantasy becomes fulfilled in the budoir. Reality sets in; and everything else, particularly if it has to do with spending money on cars, becomes fantasy.
But it's a lot cheaper than dealing with divorce lawyers.
Alexandria, Va.: We plan to move to Arizona and have decided that our 1994 Toyota Camry (which has been great!) will not make the trip with us and we'd like an SUV to replace it. We're considering the Nissan Murano, the Toyota Highlander hybrid, and the Subaru Tribeca. What are your thoughts/preferences or do you have any other suggestions? Thanks!
Warren Brown: I love the B9 Tribeca. But I thoroughly know the Highlander. It's like this: The B9 Tribeca is a hot number, great to be with, and probably will do well in the long haul. But it hasn't been around long enough to set aside my abiding faith in and affection for the Highlander, which isn't much of a looker, but is virtuous beyond measure. If I'm starting off on an otherwise uncertain journey, I want a partner who is going to stick with me, no matter what. The Highlander is that partner.
Arlington, Va.: What do you think of the new CAFE proposal out of NHTSA yesterday? I know you're not a fan of CAFE overall (nor am I), but does this seem to be a step in the right direction for pushing more fuel efficiency in an economically sound manner?
Warren Brown: It's dumb, but not as dumb as the present CAFE rule.
It's slightly smarter, because at least it recognizes size, weight, and use differences in establishing fuel economy targets.
It's dumb because it holds steadfast to the political cowardice that brought about CAFE in the first place, which is the unwillingness on the part of Congress, The White House, the liberal environmental establishment, and the vaunted media to MAKE CONSUMERS PAY the real cost of driving.
CAFE is wedded to the adolescent notion that fuel conservation is someone else's problem, in this case, the problem of the car companies. It says: If only those car companies would make fuel-efficient vehicles, we could save, geez, 10 billion barrels of oil.
B A L O N E Y!!
. The U.S. is the only country in the world with a CAFE rule, and we still use more gasoline than anyone else. Why?
. Because even at $3.00 a gallon for regular unleaded, especially when adjusted for inflation, we still pay considerably less for gasoline than anyone in the developed world.
. Fuel efficiency, by any measure, has improved in the U.S.. V-8 cars today get better mpg than V-8 cars in the 1970s. Ditto big trucks today versus those of 20 years ago.
. By making V-8 vehicles more fuel-efficient, without doing anything to make consumers pay more for the fuel those vehicles use, CAFE effectively has DECREASED the cost of driving in the U.S., which is why so many people buy V-6 and V-8 vehicles versus more fuel-economical inline four-cylinder models.
. The Honorable President Bush's CAFE proposal, which he somehow forgot to include in the National Giveaway Bill that gives $14.5 billion in tax credits to energy companies, does NOTHING to make consumers pay more. Instead, a purported byproduct of his CAFE bill is to ease the burden of American consumers at the pump in a world where Europeans are paying $6 a gallon and where people in China and elsewhere are demanding more and more oil.
Let Americans pay what everyone else in the developed world is paying. Then, we will see more candidates for The Common Sense Awards.
Arlington, Va.: What's your opinion regarding the rotary engines offered by Mazda in the RX-8?
Warren Brown: I love the engine in the Mazda RX-8. Lots of torque. But, still needs improvement in fuel economy.
Alexandria, Va.: Speaking of the Impala (basic model). I'm thinking of buying my teenage son one (used). Are they safe?
Warren Brown: I do not mean to be cynical or disrespectful. But the truth is that the car is just as safe as your son. Cars generally don't have accidents, despite what product liability lawyers claim. I prefer listening to our state police, whose unhappy job it is to clean up the carnage of our misdeeds behind the wheel. Most accidents are caused by inattention, carelessness, disrespect for other motorists, and disrespect for the laws of the road. Don't believe me? Then go out and interview any traffic cop anywhere in the country. If your kid uses common sense behind the wheel, he should be safe in that Impala.
Baltimore, Md.: Good day, Warren --
What car(s) have the best resale value?
I know in the times of soaring gas prices and employee discounts ('you pay what we pay,'I love that) it's easy to have a pre-focused mind that is concerned with MPG and price, but knowing that a majority of car buyers, at some point in time, will trade-in their cars for another, I hardly, ever, see any questions posted to the chat that ask about resale values. What's the deal?
Check with www.kbb.com, which usually does an excellent job of tracking used-car prices by region, even in this current crazy market.
Minneapolis, Minn.: LOVE Common Sense Car of the Year. While we're at it, can we convince some more people to do Common Sense Car Reviews? Most of these focus on how large the engine is and how fast you can do a quarter mile, plus top speed, etc. How many of us need that? Let's focus more on the utility for an actual customer (ergonomics, seating comfort, gas mileage, baby-gear toting ability) instead of simply how fast a car can accelerate!
Warren Brown: Yes, Minneapolis. I'll keep trying. And there are people such as the lovely Holly Reich who writes for washingtonpost.com, who also brings a common sense perspective from the viewpoint of a Mom who travels with children.
From time to time, as you know, I love to whoop it up. What can I say? The Devil makes me do it. But I will try to listen to the counsel of a few of my better angels and keep things under control.
Warren Brown: Okay, good folks. Thanks for stopping by. Remember: Nominations for The Common Sense Awards are hereby open through Sept. 30, 2005, p.m. Eastern.
Taking your choices at warbro70@aol.com, andrea.browne@wpni.com, and attention to Lou Ann Hammond at www.carlist.com.
. Fuel economy, safety, utility, reliability.
. Curb appeal: Common sense and safe sex need not be boring.
. We aren't giving fancy trophies.
. We aren't holding fancy banquets or press conferences.
. We will select a group of 10 from your nominations--the way it stands now.
. We will announce the winners at the Washington Auto Show in January, and in On Wheels and Car Culture in The Washington Post; Weekend Wheels on 630 WMAL/ ABC Radio; The John Batchelor Show with Lou Ann Hammond, ABC Radio; Real Wheels in Washingtonpost.com.
You asked for this. We'll give it to you. But since you asked for it, we definitely will need your help.
God bless. Take care. See you all next week.
Nominations for The Common Sense Awards close September 30, 2005 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
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.
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The Post's Warren Brown talks about all your automobile issues.
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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. He particularly 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 the most 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! I"m in the public library in Virginia Beach, where I've spent the past three days with my family, swimming, eating seafood, riding bicycles on the boardwalk and in general behaving like a normal American on vacation. I'll be back in DC this evening, and am rather looking forward to it. After a while the sun starts to get to me and I find myself daydreaming about going native. In these daydreams I am, of course, just slightly older than my own sons and I have their swimmer's builds and muscles. I wear sunglasses and draw admiring glances from women of all ages. And . . . Well, we don't really want to go here, do we? So it's probably wise that I get back to work soon.
Anyway, let's go to this week's questions (gosh, I sound like talk show host).
Lenexa, Kan.: Mr. Dirda: In your "Bound to Please" essay on the great Brazilian writer, Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, you write: "Yet like Samuel Beckett or Thomas Bernhard, Machado covers his pessimism with a cloak of high spirits--the kind touched with gallows humor and an Olympian resignation before the sheer foolishness of mankind." Jog my memory. I can't think who "Thomas Bernhard" is? (I'll probably regret displaying my ignorance.)
I hope to get to Machado's "Dom Casmurro" in a year or two (your synopsis made it sound interesting). Professor Burt had the novel in his second hundred. Thanks much.
Michael Dirda: Thomas Bernhard was the great Austrian novelist and playwright, who famously loathed his country for its Nazi sympathies and Catholic consevativism. Many of his books were reprinted by the University of Chicago, the best known being Correction, Concrete, The Loser (which features a fictinoalized Glenn Gould), and Extinction. I reviewed Extinction and thought to include it in Bound to Please. Fact is, I thought it was in the book, but I must have left out that essay at the last minute because the book was already so long.
Boston, Mass.: I've gone into a variety of new bookstores lately, and I've noticed something a bit peculiar. The stock of a good bookstore can seem fairly close to a mediocre bookstore, but something in the good store (layout, organization, displays, browsing happy customers) makes me want to move into the store and set up camp, exploring new books for the rest of my life. Yet if motivated, I could probably find many of the same books in the dull, mall- ish Barnes and Nobles down the street.
Michael Dirda: Well, independent booksellers know that what they offer is a place that reflects their own tastes, not that of some corporate headquarters. They know their stock, read books themselves, and hand-sell favorites. This isn't to say that you don't find some of this in a Borders or B and N, but smaller places can offer you individual attention, make you feel as if your passion for books made you part of the literary scene in your town and not just a consumer plunking down cash for a best seller.
Jonesborough, Tenn.: Have you read the debut novel of Rufus Hill's called THAD DUVAL FROM ROBERTSON? I'm right excited about it. It's laid in the South in the early '60s (before the "sexual revolution" AND before the most active part of the civil rights movement in the South). It's essentially a love story. But early in the book it presents a moral dilemma of the protagonist (I won't call him a hero)if he shoud go to a brothel to "become a man" (things were kinda different 40 years ago!). And later there is the moral dilemma of whether the young lawyer protagonist should defend his family's cook's 16-year-old son in court, after the boy tries to integrate the town's high school ostensibly alone(which was courageous) but who is caught lying twice and even seems threatening to the young lawyer who has bailed him out of jail. One can get the book on Amazon.com or in your area, Mr. Dirda, at Politics and Prose in DC.
Michael Dirda: Thank you for the recommendation. It does sound interesting, if only for its linking of the two kinds of revolution for which the 60s are known.
Philadelphia, Pa.: What is your opinion of John Fowles (particularly "Daniel Martin"). Is he still actively writing?
Michael Dirda: I've not read Daniel Martin, but I do know it's a book that divided Fowles' admirers. Some found it flat and uninvolving after the excitements of The Magus and The Collector, for instance.
Fowles' journals were recently published in England and a biography appeared earlier this year. But the novelist suffered a stroke a few years back and his fiction writing days are apparently over. Indeed, it's possible he may have died without my knowing it. It's even possible that he may have died and I never saw the notice.
Apparently Fowles the private man was fairly disagreeable and exploitatitve of those around him. But isn't that the way of artists?
twin cities: New Michael Chabon or new John Irving? Any idea if author Geln Gold of Carter Beats the Devil has any plans for a new novel?
Michael Dirda: Chabon. Don't know about a new Glen Gold. Poor guy, he must spend his time explaining that he's not the pianist. If you like books about magic, you might try the three or four Houdini detective novels by Dan Stashower. There's also an apepaling recent book on the history of the famous Indian Rope Trick. And of course you should check out Christopher Priest's wonderful The Prestige and the nonfiction albums of Ricky Jay.
Dirda Fan: Hi Michael, Just finished John Le Carre's THE CONSTANT GARDENER, which I very much enjoyed. Le Carre's still at the top of his craft and it's a fairly compelling read. I'm actually looking forward to seeing the film adaptation later this month as well. But what struck me about the book is the overarching timeliness of the subject: multinational pharmaceutical corporations running amok, bribing politicians, attacking or even killing whistleblowers, all the while letting new drugs be tested on people that clearly are dangerous to them due to the inadequancy of clinical trials. Throw in the AIDS situation in Africa and have you a highly volatile mix that makes me wonder if art is imitating life or vice versa. My question: can you think of any of other recent novels that so expertly definined a topical issue at the time of their publication that made the book resonate with readers? Many thanks.
Michael Dirda: Hmm. There must be plenty, but I"m drawing a blank---too much time lying on a blanket recently--so maybe others can offer suggestions.
Colorado Springs, Colo.: There's been a bit of buzz surrounding Paul Anderson's 12-years-in-the-writing, 1300 page debut novel. Have you read it? Should jaded readers assume any correlation between book and hype (a la Donna Tartt's first novel)?
Michael Dirda: I've seen the book--it's the one about Sor Juana de la Cruz, right? (Sor Juana was a Mexican nun from very early in the European conquest of the Americas, who became a major poet, much admired by Carlos Fuentes among others). It could be great, but I couldn't face reading it. There was a time when I read and reviewed lots of meganovels--I admire the ambition that tries to embrace a nation or a time period in a single volume--and so wrote pieces on Harold Brodkey's Runaway Soul, Pychon's Mason and Dixon, Gass's The Tunnel, DeLillo's Underworld, and several others, most recently Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and even The Historian. I've jsut read a longish fantasy novel by Paul Park too. So I can't advise you on this new Anderson book.
Michael Dirda: By the way, folks, I'll need to relog on at 2:30, so don't go away when I temporarily stop typing to do so. I"ve jsut been alerted that I have less than 10 minutes left for now.
Annapolis, Md.: Hello Michael and Fellow Bibliophiles,
I've just discovered a new to me author that I just adore, Charles de Lint. I've finished his novels "Someplace to be Flying" and "Trader" and I am just in awe; provocative plots, fantastic writing, I could go on and on. I am also slowly savoring his short story collection "Dreams Underfoot." I feel I need to pace myself or I'll run through his catalogue too fast and be feeling bereft too soon.
I did also stumble on another book with a similar urban fantasy flavor, "Child of a Rainless Year" by Jane Lindskold. She's not quite as good as de Lint, but still several notches above most modern fiction.
Any leads to other authors in this direction?
Michael Dirda: I only know De Lint from his column in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, but he's been around for quite a while as contemporary practitioner of a kind of urban fantasy. YOu might enjoy Tim Powers or James Blaylock, though they do tend to set many of their books in the 19th century, but not all. In one Powers book the Tarot and Las Vegas are somehow melded. (Melded, quite tha apposite word, if I do say so for books about cards. Sigh--has it come to this, Dirda, that you've sunk to congratulating yourself on your diction? Pitiful.)
Washington, DC: Hi there Michael. Do you have an opinion of author Mordecai Richler? I sometimes find his work quite humorous, any thoughts?
Michael Dirda: Yes, he's very funny. Duddy Kravits, Solomon Gursky, St. Urbain's Horseman are all very fine novels about Jewish-Canaidan life.
Casa de Oro, Calif: Michael, you have let us know about your musical favorites as well as the books. I am listening to my iTunes selections while I sit here today and I think about how my emotions can be manipulated with music, but not so much with reading. Do you find this to be true also?
Michael Dirda: My computer time will be out in less than two minutes. So please stick around while I re-sign on.
I'll stick my answer to the music question on to the next reply I send, along with that reply. If this is clear.
Michael Dirda: Okay, I'm back.
Favorite music? I have a little section on this in my forthcoming book from Holt, but in general I like a lot of classical music, especially the Mozart operas Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, as well as Wagner's Tristan and lots of Puccini. That betrays my sentimental side, and so I also find myself growing weepy over 60s oldies, and lots of American songbook standards, especially those sung by Ella Fitzgerald, and not least I also like country and western heartbreakers, in particular songs like "Maybe it was Memphis" sung by Pam Tillis, George Strait's "Nobody in his right mind would've left her" and lots of Lorrie MOrgan and REba McEntire. I don't follow contemporary rock or hip-hop.
Brooklyn, NY: Do you think there's a trend towards mega-novels? So many seem to be coming out, and I can't quite deal with it. There's no way to take a long walk in the park with a 1300-page novel.
Michael Dirda: Oh, there's always been a place for the meganovel--think of Thomas Wolfe or John Dos Passos. Back in the Fifties we had Gaddis' The Recognitions and in the 60s John Barth wrote some famous essays about the literature of plenitude.
Jonesborougn,TN & Anderson, S.C.: TO THE DIRDA FAN ASKING FOR RESONATING TOPICAL NOVEL:
Recently in "STYLE" in your newspaper, Mr. Dirda, the "Washington Post" there was an
article about a Brit whose novel about a
subway in London's being bombed was published on August 7th -- day of first
terror bombing in London. But I can't remember his name or title of the book.
Michael Dirda: Many thanks. This is similar to the scicnce fiction author who described the making of the atomic bomb just a few months befoe the U.S. finished making one.
Mount Desert Island, Maine: Last week, someone wrote in asking about books about the coast of Maine and mentioned The Secret Life of Lobsters, Trevor Corson's account of the lives of lobsters, lobstermen, and lobster scientists on Cranberry Island, just off Mount Desert Island.
I work in a local bookstore on the Island and would also recommend Colin Woodard's Lobster Coast: Rebels, Rusticators, and the Struggle for a Forgotten Frontier and Philip Conkling's Lobsters Great and Small.
Also new this season is Geoffrey Wolff's The Edge of Maine and John Gillis' Islands of the Mind, which encompasses stories about nearby Gotts Island and those that Odysseus encountered; the book is a cultural history of the idea of islands.
In recent "coast of Maine" fiction, try Joe Coomer's Pocketful of Dreams and Beth Gutcheon's Leeway Cottage.
There's also a book of wonderful local history, Jock Herron's Summer Restoration: Rosie Dresser and The Cobbler's, the story of his aunt's restoration of a dilapidated house in the summer of 1947.
If that proves to be too many islands the reader could go upstairs (to Biography) and peruse Michael Dirda's An Open Book, or remain downstairs (in Collections and Essays) and look over Readings and Bound to Please.
And if books prove too much the reader could pay homage to Marguerite Yourcenar by visiting her grave, just a few blocks away.
Michael Dirda: Thank you for the guidance to recent books about Maine. The mention of Islands of the Mind makes my mind remember that John Fowles--whose name came up earlier today--wrote a long essay on Islands for a picture book about them.
Also, whatever happen to the Maine novelist Carolyn Chute?
And I would be remiss if I didn't point out that Elizabeth Hand, the fine fantasy novelist, lives in Maine.
Schoeneck, Pa.: RE: Mega Novels
I've SEEN the network TV coming attractions for the fall.
I've LOTS of use for mega novels.
Michael Dirda: TV?! Here on vacation I've channel-surfed through the motel's cable offerings and discovered that you can have 72 channels and still nothing better to watch than a marathon offering of James Bond films. Of course, there aren't many things in life better than a James Bond marathon.
Minnetonka, Minn.: Michael, What is your opinion of Book Art? We have The Minnesota Center for Book Art and I recently visited the Getty Center Library and viewed their exhibit. I don't get the art object but would pay anything for an English Hound with dust jacket.
Michael Dirda: Would you settle for a German dachshund in lederhosen?
Getting silly here, are we?
I am of two minds about book art. I like pretty books, and I like illustrated books where the pictures are the sort that work for me. (I hate most of the Jane Austen illustrations that you used to see in things like the Heritage Press.) I've also studied bookbinding and have bound a couple of books, once commissioned a design binding (for a Nonesuch edition of Jeremy Taylor's Holy Living and Holy Dying), and my wedding invitation of lo these many years was done by Sheila Waters and her son Julian Waters. Sheila made the front of the invitation--caliigraphied interlocking initials--and Julian wrote out in his beautiful hand the actual details of when and where. (Sheila Waters was then widely regarded as the greatest living calligrapher; her son has been the White House calligrapher, anong other things. The, alas, late Peter Waters, husband and father, was one of the world's greatest bookbinders, having worked with Roger Powell on the rebinding of the Book of Kells and later overseen book conservation after the Florence Flood. Quite a family--the Arts and Crafts Movement in one household.)
Anyway, I used to think of modern children's albums as our equivalent to the livre d'artiste and often approached them in this vein.
So I guess I do approve of Book Art.
Washington, D.C.: Re: Bond - Are Kingsley Amis's critical works on 007 worth checking out?
Michael Dirda: Yes, he was a great fan, knew the oeuvre well, and is always fun and provocative to read. I didn't like his Bond novel, Colonel Sun, all that much. I love the fact that Amis and Larkin both adored the locked room mysteries of John Dickson Carr, these Bond books, and Dick Francis thrillers. Of course their close friend at unviersity was the the terrifically funny and witty mystery novelist Edmund Crispin.
Great Falls, Va.: RE: Casa de Oro, Calif. saying that reading doesn't affect one's emotions, I strongly disagree. I can't tell you how many times I have gotten caught up in a book where it affected my mood! Two examples: as a young woman, Jane Eyre made me feel (and still does!) that I could do anything, while more recently, The Kite Runner left me feeling quite sad, and a little wiser to the ways of the world ... Just food for thought.
Michael Dirda: Oh, books are terribly affection. I have a little chunk in my new book--sorry, two advertisements--about the perils of fiction. I just find reading novels, particularly sad one, like going through an emotional wringer. It takes me a long time to recover. Oscar Wilde said that he had never recovered from the death of Balzac's Lucien de Rubempre.
Casa de Oro, Calif: Michaael, I had to respond to the fact that you like some country music. When I was a young kid I used to sit in front of the radio and cry over the country stuff. When my mom died recently, listening to Red River Valley allowed me to finally cry about it!
Michael Dirda: Ah, Red River Valley--just about the only tune I can play on the harmonica. Of course, for many it is probably the only tune they've ever heard played on the harmonica.
Washington, DC: Have you read Coleridge's Biographia Literaria (sp?). I love C's poetry and notebooks, and am thinking of dipping into this one. Thanks. Oh, and for anyone out there interested in the English Romantics, Richard Holmes's biography of Coleridge is amazing. I just finished it.
Michael Dirda: Yes, I've read BL. The first half is fascinating, but the later sections grow more theoretical and philosophical and German philosophical at that. Some of the one volume selections from Coleridge's work contain long extracts and that's probably the way to approach the book.
The Holmes biography--in two voluems--is splendid, and very moving. Wordsworth comes across as a first-class louse, at least in later life. And till I read volume 2 I had no idea how much Coleridge suffered from his opium addiction. I somehow used to think it was just a kind of social drugging, not realizing how physically debilitating it was (ie. an inability to evacucate the bowels, requiring constant enemas.) Holmes Shelley biography The Pursuit is also very good, as are his collections of essays Footsteps and one other the title of which escapes me.
Lenexa, Kan.: I've just looked--"Extinction" is in a later (European) section of "Bound to Please." I see you also cover Sebald who I do know and have read.
I'm turned 65 today--been retired for ten years (pretty much read the ten years away). Thank you for the great help this forum has been (as was the earlier version of the Post's Book Club) to my furthering education. Hope you can keep it going for the next ten years. Best always.
Michael Dirda: Happy Birthday! And many more to come. I hope we'll spend a few of them together, at least on line.
Boston, Mass.: After The Great Gatsby, what F Scott Fitzgerald should one read? I've only read the classic.
Michael Dirda: Tender is the Night. I actually like it more than Gatsby, though GG is pretty nigh perfect and TN has its flaws. Beyond that you might dip into the notebooks collected as The Crack Up.
Brooklyn, NY: Michael, Any thoughts on Norman Cantor's biography of John of Gaunt? I loved Cantor's book on the Middle Ages, which I knew nothing about, and was excited to see this work, also on a subject about which I know nothing. But I admit to being put off by the amazon.com reviews, which claimed that it wasn't up to his usual standards.
Michael Dirda: Cantor's Inventing the Middle Ages--about the modern historians who rediscovered or championed the Middle Ages--was wonderfully lively and gossippy, and as you know opinionated. Cantor writes fast, sometimes I think too fast, and he does tend to be a bit swasbuckling. This may account for the negative reviews. On the other hand, he is a knowledgable and passionate historian and fun to read.
Bel Air, Md: I am currently reading "A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters" by Julian Barnes. The book purports to be a novel, but each chapter is wholly unrelated to the next and there is no chronologic, geographic, or character similarities amongst the chapters. They share similar themes and will often allude to something in another chapter, but each chapter is a self-contained story.
Wouldn't this more accurately be a collection of short stories? Isn't the author just trying to be clever (and cheeky) by calling it a novel? While each story is a worthwhile read, trying to consider it a novel has left me not enjoying it as much as I might have.
Michael Dirda: I reviewed the book and as I recall there are links and echoes among the stories that give the book a kind of unity. I suppose that one must expect a certain amount of heterogeneity in a history of the world. That said, Barnes is nothing if not clever in his early books--see Flaubert's Parrot--and so there is a show-offy element in them. But he's fun to read, no?
Kilpen House: A few chats back, you mentioned that when asked at a public gathering which literary character you'd like to be, you said "Bond, James Bond." My response to you was I'd have chosen Travis McGee, but it got me to thinking that although I've read much detective fiction, I'd never read the Bond series so I started on that.
I've only gone though about 5 books, but I have to say I'm surprised anyone would want to be Bond. At least the Bond of the books. I think they're great, very entertaining reads, but man, the guy gets his butt kicked a ton, he's beat up looking (scars on his face), he is very introspective and not always sure of himself, there are a lot of other issues but perhaps most of all, he doesn't always get the girl.
Anyway, I'm enjoying them a bunch so no complaints here, I just had no idea how different the Bond books (both the Bond character and the plots) were from the movies. Moonraker? It's not a space base but an ballistic missile. The Spy Who Love Me? It is written from a woman's point of view, takes place in a mountain resort in Up-State NY, and only had Bond in about 1/2 of the chapters.
I guess no real question, just can't get over my surprise in the difference between the books and movies.
Michael Dirda: Yes, after the frist three Bond movies, the producers took liberaties galore and often merely used a book title as the springboard to a movie plot. The Bond of the novels is a much more hard-boiled character than the smooth urbane spy of the films. I like both avatars of the character. What I suppose I admire most about Bond is his omnicompetence and determination.
Arlington, Va.: What is your opinion of Reading Lolita in Tehran? I'm reading it, and at first I really liked it, but half way through I'm losing motivation to continue...
Michael Dirda: Never had any interest in reading it. I like reading Lolita in Silver Spring.
Oklahoma City, Okla.: At the end of last week's chat you noted that you "easily tire of fiction," and that you were working on a book section on the "perils of fiction." That struck a chord with me: I, too, often turn from reading fiction to biographies or nonfiction, and I think I know why. Nonfiction is essentially journalism, which only asks us to absorb fact, while fiction simply demands more of a reader. We are expected to envision scenes and characters, discern motives, anticipate plot elements . . . a true interaction between writer and reader. A "peril," perhaps, but also a mental stimulant, no?
Michael Dirda: Yes. Plus there's the emotional commitment demanded by a serious novel.
Rockville, Md.: Posting early since I will be returning a child to college today. It was too late last week to respond to the one poster who was derogatory of Jim Dale and his reading of the Harry Potter books, even though he had never listened to them. I have been commuting between Rockville and northern Virginia for 9 years and books on tape have saved my sanity. I sometimes listen to two in one week. I have heard all the readers that that individual mentioned, but none of them have ever come close to Jim Dale's reading of Harry Potter. He is in a league, a class of his own. Listening to them, you can tell which of hundreds of characters is speaking from how Jim is reading it. I have no idea how he does it - pure talent. If you have never heard him, you really can have no idea how much better he is than everyone else. David Ogden Stiers' reading of Tom Wolfe's "A Man in Full" was closer than most but he still has a ways to go. I don't generally listen to mysteries, so there may be a reader or two who just focuses on that genre who might be better. But I doubt it.
Michael Dirda: Thank you for this informed posting. As I've only read the first two Potters, it sounds--oh no, not another time, Dirda--as if I should listen to the Dale readings of the others.
And with that, friends, it's time to bid you adieu before the library kicks me off this computer.
And so, till next week, at Wednesday, keep reading! Oh yes, I'm sorry I didn't get to all the postings. Please try again.
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.
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Soviet Germ Factories Pose New Threat
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ODESSA, Ukraine -- For 50 years under Soviet rule, nearly everything about the Odessa Antiplague Station was a state secret, down to the names of the deadly microbes its white-coated workers collected and stored in a pair of ordinary freezers.
Cloistered in a squat, gray building at the tip of a rusting shipping dock, the station's biologists churned out reports on grave illnesses that were mentioned only in code. Anthrax was Disease No. 123, and plague, which killed thousands here in the 19th century, was No. 127. Each year, researchers added new specimens to their frozen collection and shared test results with sister institutes along a network controlled by Moscow.
Today, the Soviets are gone but the lab is still here, in this Black Sea port notorious for its criminal gangs and black markets. It is just one of more than 80 similar "antiplague" labs scattered across the former Soviet Union, from the turbulent Caucasus to Central Asian republics that share borders with Iran and Afghanistan. Each is a repository of knowledge, equipment and lethal pathogens that weapons experts have said could be useful to bioterrorists.
After decades of operating in the shadows, the labs are beginning to shed light on another secret: How the Soviet military co-opted obscure civilian institutes into a powerful biological warfare program that built weapons for spreading plague and anthrax spores. As they ramped up preparations for germ warfare in the 1970s and 1980s, Soviet generals mined the labs for raw materials, including highly lethal strains of viruses and bacteria that were intended for use in bombs and missiles.
The facilities' hidden role is described in a draft report of a major investigation by scholars from the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. The main conclusions of the report, which was provided to The Washington Post, were echoed in interviews with current and former U.S. officials familiar with the labs. Most scientists who worked in antiplague stations in Soviet times knew nothing of their contributions to the weapons program, the report says.
The labs today are seeking to fill a critical role in preventing epidemics in regions where medical services and sanitation have deteriorated since Soviet times. But an equally pressing challenge is security: How to prevent the germ collections and biological know-how from being sold or stolen.
"They often have culture collections of pathogens that lack biosecurity, and they employ people who are well-versed in investigating and handling deadly pathogens," said Raymond A. Zilinskas, a bioweapons expert and coauthor of the draft report on the antiplague system. "Some are located at sites accessible to terrorist groups and criminal groups. The potential is that terrorists and criminals would have little problem acquiring the resources that reside in these facilities."
Managers of the old antiplague stations are aware of their vulnerabilities but lack the most basic resources for dealing with them, according to the Monterey authors and U.S. officials. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, budgets at the institutes have fallen so steeply that even the simplest security upgrades are out of reach. One facility in a Central Asian capital could not even afford a telephone and had no way of contacting police in the event of a break-in. At least two antiplague centers outside Russia have acknowledged burglaries or break-ins within the past three years, though there are no confirmed reports of stolen pathogens or missing lab equipment, Monterey officials said.
The lack of modern biosafety equipment is also raising concern among U.S. officials about the potential for an accidental release of deadly bacteria and viruses. In Odessa, where 44 scientists and about 140 support staff carry out research in the I.I. Mechnikov Antiplague Scientific and Research Institute, scientists wearing cotton smocks and surgical masks work with lethal microbes that in the West would be locked away in high-containment laboratories and handled only by scientists in spacesuits.
The lab's scientists said their training in handling dangerous materials allowed them to work safely with pathogens without Western-style safety equipment -- which they viewed as unnecessary and which in any case they cannot afford.
"Many of the institutes are located in downtown areas, and some work with pathogens with windows wide open," said Sonia Ben Ouagrham, who coauthored the Monterey study with Zilinskas and Alexander Melikishvili.
The obscurity of the antiplague stations is hampering their ability to fix the problems, the researchers said. The institutes were not officially part of the Soviet bioweapons complex, so they have been deemed ineligible for the tens of millions of dollars in aid given each year by U.S. and Western governments to keep former weapons scientists from selling their expertise.
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ODESSA, Ukraine -- For 50 years under Soviet rule, nearly everything about the Odessa Antiplague Station was a state secret, down to the names of the deadly microbes its white-coated workers collected and stored in a pair of ordinary freezers. The name "antiplague" reflects a grim reality of...
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Initiatives to Promote Savings From Childhood Catching On
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Three weeks shy of his first day of kindergarten, Austin Sambrano is the only person in his family who has a savings account.
Living with his parents and older brother in a trailer park near Pontiac, Mich., he is part of an experiment called the SEED Initiative that is opening investment accounts for children, in an effort to ensure them a college education -- and teach their families the habit of putting aside money for the future.
The $800 deposited in his name places the rambunctious, blond 5-year-old at the leading edge of a new wave of thought about how to create wealth, curb poverty, and improve the abysmal savings rate among Americans, particularly those who are poor. The idea is to give newborns or young children a miniature version of what affluent families have long provided their offspring: a trust fund. To induce parents to save, families get their deposits matched if they add to the fund.
In today's economy, a savings account "is as fundamental as land was back in the 18th and 19th century," said Ray Boshara, of the New America Foundation, a centrist think tank that is a main advocate of children's accounts.
Involving several hundred children in a dozen communities around the country, SEED (Saving for Education, Entrepreneurship, and Downpayment) -- a four-year experiment being conducted by local social service agencies, studied by researchers and paid for by several nonprofit foundations -- is a modest version of the ultimate goal.
Legislation has been introduced in Congress that calls for the government to open a KIDS Account of at least $500 for every baby born in the United States. And President Bush's first Treasury secretary, Paul H. O'Neill, has been giving speeches around the country, promoting an even bolder plan he has devised for children's accounts that he says would guarantee every American at least $1 million by age 65, eventually eliminating the need for Social Security.
Fostering savings from childhood is, in a sense, a spillover from the debate over whether to establish private investment accounts in Social Security, the nation's fragile retirement system. But unlike the partisan rancor that runs through the Social Security debate, children's accounts are gaining proponents across the ideological spectrum. Conservative Republicans construe them as a form of the market-oriented "ownership society" that Bush touts. Liberal Democrats view them as an extension of the Great Society of the 1960s that created government programs to lift people from poverty.
"It's a simple kind of merging of the stereotypes of the parties," said Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.), sponsor of a bill that would create KIDS Accounts. "You give to people; you put some responsibility on people to save, as well."
Despite bipartisan cheerleading, such accounts have skeptics on the right, who are disdainful of a new government handout, and on the left, who fear the expense would drain money from other social needs. So far, White House officials are unenthusiastic, saying that any available money should be used to prop up Social Security and that it would be wasteful to give an account to every baby, including ones born into families that are rich.
Still, proponents say that investing in children is a breakthrough in thinking about how to reverse a worrisome deterioration of savings habits. Since the early 1990s, the typical American's savings rate has plunged from $7.70 per $100 earned to $1.80, according to federal figures. Between 9 and 20 percent of U.S. households have no bank account, studies show, and the proportion is higher among African Americans, Hispanics and the poor.
"I don't find the current political process doing justice to the fundamental question: What meaning should be given to creating financial independence? The president puts his head down and keeps saying the same thing over and over again," said O'Neill, who was dismissed by Bush in 2002. O'Neill said his plan, which he estimates would cost $144 billion, would create "a fundamentally different society than any one on Earth."
Austin Sambrano's mother, Christine Albertson, had a humbler reason for signing up her son for a SEED account. Neither she nor her partner of 12 years, Steven Sambrano, has any savings. On the $400 a week he brings home from his new job driving a truck, "we are barely making the bills as it is," she said.
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Three weeks shy of his first day of kindergarten, Austin Sambrano is the only person in his family who has a savings account.
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3 Sunni Activists Killed In Iraq
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MOSUL, Iraq, Aug. 19 -- Gunmen in this northern city Friday abducted and publicly executed three Sunni Arab activists who had been working to draw the disgruntled Sunni minority into Iraq's political mainstream, and then draped their bodies in a get-out-the-vote banner, officials and witnesses said.
The killings, before a horrified crowd, were the latest episode in the accelerating violence between suspected insurgents and the Sunni minority that has been their base of support.
One witness, Muhammed Khalid, said armed men traveling in eight cars kidnapped the activists as they were hanging banners encouraging voter participation. An hour later, gunmen appeared in another neighborhood. They blocked off side roads, stopped people from fleeing and forbade frightened shopkeepers to close their establishments, witnesses said.
"Then they took three men out of their cars and killed them in front of us," said a witness, Harith Saleem. He quoted one of the killers as saying, "This is the punishment for those who promote the elections."
In the western city of Ramadi, meanwhile, Sunni tribal members shot and killed a Saudi and three other members of the country's main insurgent group, al Qaeda in Iraq, headed by Abu Musab Zarqawi, witnesses and sources said. Killings there, too, marked rapidly escalating tensions between foreign-led fighters and Sunnis.
The political violence came as all Iraq's factions jostled for position in the reshaping of their nation, more than two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein.
In Baghdad, debate over the role of Islamic law deadlocked the drafting of Iraq's new constitution, with more-secular Iraqis balking at terms they said would subjugate Iraq to the rule of clerics, negotiators said.
Iraqis are due to vote in October on a new constitution and then in December for their first full-term government, which will determine how the constitution is interpreted and enforced.
Iraq's political leaders and constitution committee members face a Monday deadline -- already postponed by a week -- to put a draft constitution before parliament, ahead of the October vote. U.S. and Iraqi leaders have insisted that completing the constitution will calm political violence. Friday's attacks, however, suggested that the bloodletting would persist at least through the scheduled December elections.
Negotiators said Friday that all sides had reached accord on the critical issue of federalism, which will determine how much independent say the largely Kurdish north and predominantly Shiite south will have in running their affairs. The accord reached Friday would recognize a northern federal state for the Kurds and give other regions the same option if approved by local voters and by parliament, Shiite and Kurdish officials said.
Those terms leave the way open for the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq -- now the dominant party in Iraq's interim government -- to make a separate federal state in the Shiite south out of as many as half of Iraq's 18 provinces.
Members of the constitution committee said they were still divided on how Iraq's oil wealth should be allocated. But the bigger dispute, emerging early Saturday, was over the role of Islam. The current rough draft stipulates that Iraq is an Islamic state and that no law can contradict the basic principles of Islam.
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Gunmen in Mosul Friday abducted and publicly executed three Sunni Arab activists who had been working to draw the disgruntled Sunni minority into Iraq's political mainstream, and then draped their bodies in a get-out-the-vote banner, officials and witnesses said.
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In 1980s, Roberts Criticized The Court He Hopes to Join
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When John G. Roberts Jr. accepted President Bush's nomination to the Supreme Court last month, he spoke with awe about the high court. He had argued 39 cases before the justices, but he said he "always got a lump in my throat whenever I walked up those marble steps."
Two decades earlier though, as a young lawyer in the Reagan administration, Roberts expressed less reverential comments, repeatedly arguing that the high court was interfering in issues best left to Congress. He even wrote approvingly of an effort to term-limit federal judges instead of giving them lifetime appointments, so they "would not lose all touch with reality through decades of ivory tower existence.
"The federal judiciary today benefits from an insulation from political pressure even as it usurps the role of the political branches," he wrote his boss, White House counsel Fred F. Fielding, on Oct. 3, 1983.
The memo was among more than 50,000 pages of documents made public this week by the Ronald W. Reagan Presidential Library, covering Roberts's 1982 to 1986 tenure as an associate counsel to the president. Along with other papers covering Roberts's 1981 to 1982 stint as a special assistant at the Justice Department, the documents portray a young conservative whose views were very much in line with the administration he served.
Roberts's writings reflect a steady concern about maintaining an appropriate balance of power, often expressing suspicion that one branch of government was trying to encroach upon another. Much of his trepidation involved his view that the courts were encroaching on issues that Congress never intended with overly broad interpretations of federal law, or by creating rights not stated in the Constitution. That, in turn, informed his views on a host of controversial issues.
He was skeptical of the Supreme Court's legal underpinning for the right to abortion, referring to it as a "so-called right to privacy." He said that a case prohibiting a moment of silent prayer or reflection in public schools "seems indefensible," and criticized other court decisions upholding racial preference programs aimed at remedying past discrimination as "constitutionally impermissible" because the programs themselves were discriminatory.
That strict view also carried over to the executive branch. Asked by White House deputy counsel Richard Hauser to come up with examples of instances when the administration had refused to interpret statutes more broadly than Congress intended, Roberts cited a case involving Bob Jones University. Though the university discriminated against interracial couples, the administration took the position that it could continue to receive a tax break given to religious and charitable organizations.
"Even though we opposed on policy grounds granting tax exemptions to discriminatory schools, we did not feel Congress had given the IRS the authority to withhold exemptions on that basis," Roberts wrote Dec. 5, 1983.
Roberts wrote the memo less than six months after the Supreme Court ruled that the university did not meet the charitable test in the federal law because it discriminated.
In 1983, then-Chief Justice Warren E. Burger proposed a new level of appellate courts to relieve some of the Supreme Court's workload. Roberts panned the idea in a Feb. 10 memo, writing that "the fault lies with the Justices themselves, who unnecessarily take too many cases and issue opinions so confusing that they often do not even resolve the question presented." The court could start by agreeing to hear fewer death penalty appeals and "abdicating the role of fourth or fifth guesser," he said.
Two months later, Roberts reiterated his position.
"While some of the tales of woe emanating from the Court are enough to bring tears to the eyes, it is true that only Supreme Court Justices and school children are expected to and do take the entire summer off," Roberts wrote. But, he added, there was an upside to that break: "We know that the Constitution is safe for the summer."
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When John G. Roberts Jr. accepted President Bush's nomination to the Supreme Court last month, he spoke with awe about the high court. He had argued 39 cases before the justices, but he said he "always got a lump in my throat whenever I walked up those marble steps."
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Roberts's Rules of Decorum
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Last week, researchers found several memos from the summer and fall of 1984 in which future Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, working as a Reagan White House lawyer, argued against sending presidential thank-you notes to Michael Jackson for his charitable works. But it turns out this was just the beginning of what appears to be the young lawyer's concerns about the star. Three new memos uncovered by Post reporters show Roberts described Jackson as "androgynous," "mono-gloved" and a balladeer of illegitimacy.
On April 30, 1984, Roberts wrote to oppose a presidential award that was to have been given to Jackson for his efforts against drunk driving. Roberts particularly objected to award wording that described Jackson as an "outstanding example" for American youth.
Roberts wrote: "If one wants the youth of America and the world sashaying around in garish sequined costumes, hair dripping with pomade, body shot full of female hormones to prevent voice change, mono-gloved, well, then, I suppose 'Michael,' as he is affectionately known in the trade, is in fact a good example. Quite apart from the problem of appearing to endorse Jackson's androgynous life style, a Presidential award would be perceived as a shallow effort by the President to share in the constant publicity surrounding Jackson. . . . The whole episode would, in my view, be demeaning to the President."
This week's document dump by the National Archives also included two more Roberts memos on Jackson that predated last week's memos. The first, from May 1, 1984, called an award to Jackson for his campaign against drunk driving "a poor idea. A presidential award to Jackson would be perceived as a shallow effort by the president to exploit the constant publicity surrounding Jackson, particularly since other celebrities have done as much for worthy causes as Jackson but have not been singled out by the President."
After losing that battle, he unloaded 10 days later on Jackson after reading remarks Reagan was to deliver at the award ceremony, saying 100 women who work at the White House "all said their name is Billie Jean." Wrote Roberts:
"Cognoscenti will recognize the allusion to a character in one of Mr. Jackson's popular ballads, a young lass who claims -- falsely, according to the oft-repeated refrain of the singer -- that the singer is the father of her illegitimate child. This may be someone's idea of presidential humor, but it certainly is not mine."
In fairness to Roberts, his objections to celebrity extended far beyond Jackson. On Oct. 3, 1983, two months after opposing a Reagan remembrance of Bing Crosby, he wrote to oppose presidential remarks praising John Wayne as the epitome of American values:
"I am . . . somewhat troubled by the absence of a consistent policy governing our willingness to permit the President to participate in these private, commercial tributes. . . . I think we are seeing evidence of what we often say will happen when we deny requests for Presidential endorsements of charitable efforts: once you do one it becomes impossible to turn down countless others. I know there's only one John Wayne -- but there's only one Bob Hope, James Bond, Bing Crosby, etc. etc. etc."
Staff writers Jo Becker and R. Jeffrey Smith contributed to this report.
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Get style news headlines from The Washington Post, including entertainment news, comics, horoscopes, crossword, TV, Dear Abby. arts/theater, Sunday Source and weekend section. Washington Post columnists, movie/book reviews, Carolyn Hax, Tom Shales.
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Redskins' Revenue Reaches $300 Million
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The Washington Redskins, the National Football League's richest franchise, are even wealthier than people thought.
The Redskins' gross revenue reached $300 million last year, well above published estimates and nearly double the $162 million that the franchise grossed before Daniel Snyder bought it in 1999, according to a document Snyder filed this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of his attempt to take control of Six Flags amusement parks.
The Redskins' revenue is more than that of the rival Dallas Cowboys and approaches the annual gross revenue of the New York Yankees.
While player payroll, administrative expenses, taxes, security and the mortgage on FedEx Field likely will eat up more than $200 million, the franchise's stunning revenue performance likely places it among the most profitable teams in U.S. professional sports.
While Snyder's financial success with the Redskins has been widely acknowledged, the SEC filing confirmed for the first time just how successful he has been and opened a window into how aggressively he has employed marketing and ingenuity to grow the business. The filing also offers insight into how he plans to apply the same moneymaking techniques to Six Flags, which owns and operates 31 amusement parks in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Snyder, who made a fortune in marketing before age 30, brought a lengthy menu of moneymaking strategies with him when he bought the Redskins and their privately built stadium from the estate of Jack Kent Cooke for $800 million. He has added about 10,000 seats to FedEx Field, which now has a capacity of 91,665; it is the largest stadium in the NFL. Snyder boosted the number of luxury suites from 199 to 208, installed 500 more loge seats, established an owners' club class of 35 super suites and added 1,488 "dream seats" ringing the field -- each of which he sells at premium prices. He built escalators to make it easier for fans to get to their seats. He added restaurants. He automated concessions so fans could buy more food and beverages with greater frequency.
Snyder sold the stadium's naming rights to Federal Express for $200 million over 27 years, placed advertising throughout the building, and instituted the exclusive Tailgate Club.
Snyder's efforts have not been without controversy. He angered many fans last season when he added thousands of seats with an obstructed view of the field. The Redskins have lowered the price of some of those seats this season, team spokesman Karl Swanson said yesterday. Snyder also tried to accept only the Redskins MasterCard from season ticket holders who wanted to pay by credit card, but then withdrew the requirement after the credit card company intervened. And despite all their financial success, the Redskins have posted only one winning season since 1999, the year Snyder bought the team.
The Redskins have raised the price of general admission tickets twice since 1999, in 2000 and again in 2001, when they instituted a $4 per ticket surcharge for security following the Sept. 11 attacks. "We worked hard to increase revenues through efficiencies, and not by raising general admission prices for the last four years," Swanson said.
What the SEC filing showed, however, is that Snyder and his business partners have excelled at making it easier for fans -- and big name advertisers and sponsors -- to spend their money on the Redskins brand.
Snyder expanded sponsorship revenue from $4 million to $48 million, the document said, by offering businesses more opportunities to reach Redskins fans inside FedEx Field and at home. He reduced lines by automating concession stands with a "tap and go" payment system, boosting food sales from $9 per person per game when he bought the team to $15 last season, according to the proxy filed by Red Zone LLC, a holding company for Snyder's various investments. This effectively means Snyder has increased concession revenue at FedEx from around $8 million a year to nearly $15 million a year.
Snyder outsourced the concessions business to an operator with expertise in that area "while maintaining control over the brands of food and beverages that are sold at its stadium," according to the SEC document. In other words, Snyder was able to preserve lucrative sponsorships with companies like Coca-Cola by requiring the food service company to serve those brands, while getting the Redskins out of the concessions business. The Redskins' owner also sold the stadium's concessions equipment to a food service operator for $16 million, using that money to pay down the substantial mortgage that he once owed on the team.
Snyder and his investors borrowed at least $495 million to buy the team and stadium in 1999, $395 million of which was tied directly to the team and stadium. Snyder also put up about $120 million of his cash. After at least two re-financings with attractive interest rates, a $50 million lump sum payment and the sale of a big part of the team in 2003, Snyder has reduced the debt on the stadium and the Redskins to around $250 million. Snyder now owns between 40 and 45 percent of the team.
Snyder stated in his SEC filing that he has also started a "special events business line" promoting concerts, parking lot entertainment and other events at FedEx Field that now generate $2 million per year. He also has had help from the NFL, which distributes around 60 percent of its more than $5 billion annual revenue to the 32 teams. National television contracts alone bring in more than $100 million of Snyder's $300 million annual revenue.
"This is a testament to Dan Snyder's ability to run and manage an entertainment-based business," said Marc Ganis, a Chicago-based sports marketing consultant. "His success with the Redskins has been nothing short of phenomenal. It shows he knew what he was doing when he paid a then-record $800 million for this franchise."
Researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report.
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Info on Washington Redskins including the 2004 NFL Preview. Get the latest game schedule and statistics for the Redskins. Follow the Washington Redskins under the direction of Coach Joe Gibbs.
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Judge Tells U.S. to Revisit Wolves' Status
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The Bush administration violated the law when it dropped efforts to bring back gray wolves in the Northeast, a federal judge in Vermont ruled yesterday.
A coalition of environmental groups had challenged the 2003 decision to reduce Endangered Species Act protection for gray wolves across the lower 48 states; while the species has rebounded in the Great Lakes and Northern Rockies, gray wolves are almost nonexistent in the Northeast.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge J. Garvan Murtha noted that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said there would be " 'extensive and significant gaps' in the wolf's range without a wolf population in the Northeast."
Larry J. Schweiger, president of the National Wildlife Federation, said the ruling means the Interior Department will have to revisit its decision to downgrade the wolves' status from endangered to threatened.
"The wildlife legacy we are striving to leave our children in New England can now include one of the most majestic of all species," Schweiger said.
Interior Department spokesman Hugh Vickery said the administration, which lost a similar case this year involving the struggling gray wolf population in the Pacific Northwest, was reviewing the decision and had not decided whether to appeal.
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The Bush administration violated the law when it dropped efforts to bring back gray wolves in the Northeast, a federal judge in Vermont ruled yesterday.
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After 1 Year, A $4 Billion Re-Google
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Internet powerhouse Google Inc. revealed plans yesterday to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling more shares of stock, capitalizing on huge public interest in the company as it battles for online supremacy with rivals such as Yahoo and Microsoft.
The announcement almost exactly a year after Google's initial public offering surprised analysts. The company's stock began trading on Aug. 19, 2004, at $85 a share and is now worth $279.99 a share, giving Google a total market value more than twice that of General Motors Corp.
Analysts marveled at Google's move, noting that the already-wealthy company may be hoarding cash while hatching big schemes to buy an international company or new products, particularly as its rivalry with its big tech competitors heats up.
"I don't think they needed to do this at all, but the thing about Google is that they're always thinking ahead," said Scott Kessler, an analyst with Standard & Poor's. Google last reported it had nearly $3 billion in cash and cash equivalents -- and combining that with the additional money, it could easily go shopping for ways to augment its popular search tools, he said.
The Mountain View, Calif.-based company went into business in 1998 with a tool to make searching the Internet simpler. Starting with its wildly successful word search, the company ventured into e-mail, satellite-map search, video search, image search and even print-media search.
Google now employs more than 4,000 people and makes nearly all of its income from advertising associated with its search products, which last quarter yielded $342 million in profit. The news of the secondary offering sent the stock down $5.11 yesterday.
In a nod to its offbeat approach, Google set the offering at 14,159,265 shares, a number that matches the eight digits to the right of the decimal point in the mathematical value pi.
"It's not a conventional company," and it must plan for fierce battles against its largest competitors, Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp., both of which have more cash than Google, Kessler said.
In a filing yesterday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Google underscored that point. Despite its relative youth, Google cast itself as a contender against much larger and more established rivals.
"We face formidable competition in every aspect of our business, and particularly from other companies that seek to connect people with information on the web and provide them with relevant advertising," it said in its filing.
"We expect that Microsoft will increasingly use its financial and engineering resources to compete with us. Both Microsoft and Yahoo have more employees than we do (in Microsoft's case, currently nearly 14 times as many)." With more cash and longer operating histories, both companies "can use their experience and resources against us in a variety of competitive ways, including by making acquisitions, investing more aggressively in research and development and competing more aggressively for advertisers and web sites," it said in the filing.
Company officials declined to comment further about the offering, and in the SEC filing they denied having specific or immediate plans to spend the cash for acquisitions.
But this week, Google rival Yahoo announced its intention to pay $1 billion for a 40 percent stake in Alibaba.com, a Chinese online commerce company. That could inspire Google to invest in a similar Chinese asset, such as search firm Baidu.com Inc., which last week raised money in its own successful public offering, S&P's Kessler said.
Or, Google could seek to acquire or partner with an Internet phone company such as Skype Technologies SA, a computer-based phone service with 47 million free-Internet phone users and 2 million paying subscribers who buy credits to make cheap phone calls over the Web. "Google is about getting people to use as many things as possible, as much as possible, for as long as possible," and a phone-and-messaging service would achieve that, Kessler said.
Google retained Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse First Boston LLC and Allen & Co. as underwriters for the stock. Although its initial public offering took place in the form of an unconventional auction process, the secondary offering makes no mention of the auction system.
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Internet powerhouse Google Inc. revealed plans yesterday to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling more shares of stock, capitalizing on huge public interest in the company as it battles for online supremacy with rivals such as Yahoo and Microsoft.
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Rights Envoy Named for N. Korea
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CRAWFORD, Tex., Aug. 19 -- President Bush named a U.S. special envoy on human rights for North Korea on Friday, an appointment that comes amid a recess in the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions and could ruffle Pyongyang.
But U.S. officials said the appointment, announced by the White House, had been in the works for some time and was not aimed at putting pressure on the North Koreans ahead of the resumption of the nuclear talks.
"It's taken this long to line everything up. I think people will read a little more into the timing than they should," said one official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The job was created last October under a U.S. law to promote human rights in communist-ruled North Korea, and human rights groups had pressed for the post to be filled.
The envoy, Jay P. Lefkowitz, has previously been White House deputy assistant for domestic policy and has also been a member of the U.S. delegation to the U.N. Human Rights Commission.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino issued a statement on the appointment in Crawford, Tex., where Bush is on a month-long vacation.
Suzanne Scholte, a leader of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, said her umbrella group of religious and rights activists had been eagerly waiting for the appointment
"This man I understand is close to President Bush, so that means he'll have his ear on North Korean human rights, so we're very excited about the appointment," she said.
"It's so critical that we let the North Korean people know that we know that they're suffering," said Scholte, whose coalition will stage protests and prayer meetings in Washington over the weekend to support human rights in North Korea.
The North Korea talks in Beijing broke off this month after 13 days without an agreement, but the United States, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia are scheduled to resume negotiations aimed at hammering out the principles of a deal the week of Aug. 29.
North Korea, widely condemned for its human rights record, has long accused Washington of using rights as a pretext to overthrow the government of leader Kim Jong Il. Pyongyang has cited comments by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice referring to North Korea as an "outpost of tyranny" as a reason that it boycotted the six-party talks for more than a year.
Experts estimate that about 1 million of the country's 22.5 million people died in a famine in the 1990s, and refugees describe a gulag system holding 200,000 political prisoners.
Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. negotiator in the six-party talks, said this week that he had raised the issue of human rights during the recent session in Beijing. He described rights scrutiny as the "cost of admission" to international society.
The North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 was passed unanimously by both chambers of Congress. The law calls for directing humanitarian aid to North Korean refugees who have fled into neighboring states, and earmarks funds for broadcasts to the North.
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CRAWFORD, Tex., Aug. 19 -- President Bush named a U.S. special envoy on human rights for North Korea on Friday, an appointment that comes amid a recess in the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions and could ruffle Pyongyang.
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Pope Visits German Synagogue
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COLOGNE, Germany, Aug. 19 -- Pope Benedict XVI on Friday paid only the second visit to a synagogue by a Roman Catholic pontiff, decrying "the insane, racist ideology" practiced by his fellow Germans that led to the Holocaust and World War II.
Benedict, a conscripted teenage member of the Hitler Youth who was forced to join the German military during the waning days of the war, memorialized the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust, visiting a synagogue that was destroyed in 1938 on the night of Nazi-fomented violence known as Kristallnacht. It was finally rebuilt two decades later.
"The holiness of God was no longer recognized, and consequently contempt was shown for the sacredness of human life," Benedict said. He quoted his predecessor, John Paul II, who said memories of the Holocaust must "never cease to rouse consciences, to resolve conflicts, to inspire the building of peace."
Catholic and Jewish leaders described Benedict's visit to the Cologne synagogue as an important milestone in relations between Jews and Catholics, which improved considerably during John Paul's 27-year reign but have suffered some setbacks in recent months. They said the mere presence of a German pope -- the first in 500 years -- in a synagogue was something they could not have imagined until recently.
"This was an event that not only has exceptional meaning for Germany, not only for the Catholic Church, but also for the Jewish community in Germany and in the world," said Paul Spiegel, director of the Central Council of Jews in Germany . "It is a historic day, an event that will be thankfully remembered by future generations."
Upon entering the Jewish house of worship, Benedict stopped to pray briefly at a memorial to Jews who died in the Holocaust, including about 11,000 from Cologne, which served as an important European center of Jewish learning and culture from the 4th century until the Nazis decimated the community.
Benedict, 78, whose trip to Germany is his first foreign mission since becoming pope in April, began his speech inside the synagogue with a few words in Hebrew, saying "peace unto you." The only other pope known to have entered a synagogue in modern times was John Paul II, who visited one in Rome in 1986 and also made a historic visit to Jerusalem.
While Benedict spoke of the common theological ground between the Jewish and Catholic faiths, he did not apologize for the church's failure to take a stronger public stand against the Nazis during World War II and the Holocaust, as many Jewish leaders have urged the Vatican to do.
Abraham Lehrer, a Jewish community leader in Cologne, asked Benedict during the synagogue visit to open more of the Vatican's World War II archives to researchers studying the church's response to the Holocaust. Such a gesture "would be a further sign of historical conscience and would also satisfy critics," Lehrer said during the ceremony.
Benedict did not respond directly. But he made a general reference to such disputes, saying he "would encourage sincere and trustful dialogue between Jews and Christians, for only in this way will it be possible to arrive at a shared interpretation of disputed historical questions."
Many Jewish leaders, including several in Germany, praised Benedict's election as pope in April, saying he shared John Paul's commitment to mending relations between Jews and Catholics. But the new pope has had to deal with some controversies in the past year.
Benedict drew criticism from the Israeli government last month after he failed to include Israel among countries hit by terrorism in a statement decrying the London suicide bombings and other recent attacks. The Vatican responded with criticism of its own, accusing Israel of trying to tell the pope what to say.
In January, Cardinal Joachim Meisner, the archbishop of Cologne, a close ally of Benedict's, gave an address in which he equated the casualties of the Holocaust with abortion and euthanasia. Meisner apologized a few days later after Jewish leaders in Germany and elsewhere condemned his remarks.
Vatican officials portrayed the synagogue visit on Friday as Benedict's idea. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the papal spokesman, said it was "an event of historic significance" and emphasized that the pope "himself took the initiative and said he wanted to visit the synagogue."
Lehrer said, however, that the Jewish community board of directors in Cologne had taken the first step. He said the board decided shortly after John Paul's death in April to send a congratulatory letter and invitation to whomever would be named his successor, realizing that the new pope was likely to visit Cologne this month to attend a previously scheduled Catholic world youth summit.
"We decided, well, we're going to invite who ever the winner is and we'll see what will happen," Lehrer said. He said the Vatican responded eagerly soon after Benedict's election, formally accepting the invitation in June.
"He grew up in Germany and is what we Germans call a child of the war," Lehrer said. "This makes it much easier for him to understand the special feelings of the Jews in Germany and to accept an invitation to visit our synagogue in Cologne."
Benedict was scheduled to continue his outreach to leaders of other faiths on Saturday in a meeting with Muslim leaders in Cologne.
Special correspondent Shannon Smiley contributed to this report.
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COLOGNE, Germany, Aug. 19 -- Pope Benedict XVI on Friday paid only the second visit to a synagogue by a Roman Catholic pontiff, decrying "the insane, racist ideology" practiced by his fellow Germans that led to the Holocaust and World War II.
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Noose at Office Prompts Fight, Probe
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In the federal government's metal shop in Northeast Washington, where parts and pieces are forged and fixed for such places as the White House, the first black supervisor to run the operation came to work one day to find a hangman's noose on his door.
The National Park Service, which runs the shop, said the incident is under investigation, but workers offended by the display said the federal agency is ignoring it.
"They're treating it like it was a joke. I think it was a hate crime," said David B. Melson, the sheet-metal mechanic supervisor at the shop.
Melson said that the shop employee who left the rope is still at work and that since the June incident, no Park Service official has called him to get his side of the story.
"The National Park Service is aware of the incident," said Park Service spokesman Bill Line. "We take incidents of this nature very seriously and deplore these type of incidents. There is an active investigation within the Park Service, and we have to let the internal investigation take its course."
Melson, a shop employee for 10 years and its first black supervisor, said the noose was the most graphic manifestation of racial tension he has felt among the workforce, which is almost evenly split along racial lines.
One of the most obvious strains is in work assignments, Melson said. In most cases, black workers do the heavy lifting at the shop, and white workers are dispatched to the White House to install their handiwork, he said.
On June 2, Melson said, the electricians and metal workers milling about the Brentwood maintenance facility spotted the noose dangling in front of Melson's door.
"I've seen pictures of these things; I've read about them," said Jordan Whitaker, who has worked at the shop for almost eight years. "I would never suspect I would see anything like this on the work site."
Someone called the U.S. Park Police. Then worker John Carrasco tried to grab the rope, and Whitaker tried to stop him, according to a Park Police report.
The two threw punches and shoved each other onto work benches. Carrasco told police that he had placed the noose on a shelf above Melson's door to store it, according to the report.
Both men were put on a day of paid administrative leave. Carrasco, a 67-year-old Mexican American born in Iowa, said he did not mean to offend anyone and had no idea that a hangman's noose is a nefarious symbol. "I didn't know people would be so sensitive," he said. "It was not meant for any harm to anybody. It was an accident. It was a 12-foot-long piece of rope I just threw over my shoulder."
Five shop employees contacted the NAACP, saying the incident was a hate crime that had been ignored by the Park Service. NAACP attorney E. Ned Sloan took the case.
Sloan filed a Equal Employment Opportunity complaint with the Park Service. He is asking that the service fire Carrasco, compensate each offended worker with $250,000 and initiate sensitivity training.
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In the federal government's metal shop in Northeast Washington, where parts and pieces are forged and fixed for such places as the White House, the first black supervisor to run the operation came to work one day to find a hangman's noose on his door.
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Metro: Roads and Rails
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Do you think Metro has grown unreliable and become downright unpleasant? Or are you happy with your commutes on rail and bus? Does the thought of the intercounty connector (ICC) keep you up at night or does it seem like it's long overdue? And what of the moves by Maryland and Virginia to encourage the private sector to build road projects, such as widening the Capital Beltway?
Washington Post staff writer Steve Ginsberg was online Monday, August 22, at 11 a.m. ET to answer your questions, feel your pain and share the drama of getting from Point A to Point B. (Lyndsey Layton is off today.)
Steve Ginsberg: What do you say commuters?! It's a Monday in late August, Lyndsey is relaxing somewhere in the Great American West (I think Idaho today) and we're he're together to talk about traffic woes, high gas prices and the shear joy that comes with riding a bus on a stifling summer day. Well, at least we've got each other...
Maryland -- Mapquest Center: One problem that we have daily on my street is Mapquest guided travelers showing up on our street -- but with destinations virtually anywhere in Maryland. We have worked for a couple of years to find out what's going on. We've finally hit it, and your chat line might be interested.
Wayard Drive, Annapolis, Md., is the default center of Maryland, so if you're looking for an address, like Merriweather Post Pavilion or Anne Arundel Community College, and put it in as the city, Mapquest doesn't understand, and defaults to the center of the state (which is us). So ... be careful when you're entering the city in Mapquest.
Steve Ginsberg: I'm so glad you've written in. I'm working on a story about Mapquest and would love to talk to you. Please e-mail me at ginsbergs@washpost.com.
Any Traffic Circle, D.C.: I have a question about right turns on red into a traffic circle. For example, at Logan Circle, all the roads leading in have a traffic light at the entrance to the circle. When a driver approaching the circle is stopped at a red light at the intersection of the street and the circle and there is no sign prohibiting a right turn on red, can the driver turn right on red into the circle? Thanks for taking my question.
Steve Ginsberg: You can make a right on red unless there is a sign prohibiting it or a hard red arrow on the stop light. On a side note, that circle--and others--frustrate me. The whole point of a traffic circle is so you don't have to stop at a red light and that one has one for every single driver.
Washington, D.C.: On future rail lines for Metro, are they planning dual tracks (rather than the single track system in place on the existing lines that slow everything up)?
Steve Ginsberg: You're unlikely to see dual tracks for dual reasons. First, they cost a lot of money and as the rail to Dulles experience has reminded us, they can barely afford to pay for the basics of what they want as it is. And secondly, dual tracks would have limited advantage since 103 miles of the system--the whole system right now--is stuck without them. It might help in a limited corridor, but its benefits would not be widespread.
Olney, Md.: So now that they have decided on a route for the ICC, what are the chances that all the required approvals will fall into place?
If they build the ICC, the traffic on the road in front of my house (Norbeck Rd.) should diminish greatly (I certainly hope) as the entrances on the ICC are slated to be on Layhill and Georgia Ave. and the ICC would cross over Norbeck without an exit.
However, if they don't get the permissions, will the "Local Roads" option then become the plan?
Steve Ginsberg: I would say at this point that the chances that all the approvals will fall into place are pretty good. I hesitate to say that since it hasn't happened in the last 40 years, but if I were a betting man, I would bet on it. It'll be a few, if not several, years before it gets built, though, so don't get too excited just yet.
Arlington, Va.: Yesterday's Outlook article on bizarre cell phone use reminded me of the absolutely dangerous behavior of people crossing the street (some against the light) while continuing on with their cell phone conversations. If it is wrong for drivers to be on the phone (even with special devices in the District), why can't there be a crackdown on cell phone-using pedestrians?
Steve Ginsberg: Maybe there should be, but cracking down on cell-phone using pedestrians seems pretty darn low on the list of things we'd like our law enforcement personnel to be concentrating on.
Bowie, Md.: Kudos to the Maryland State Police, who had at least three cars on westbound Rt. 50 near Freeway Airport this morning pulling over, presumably, HOV violators. (I've seen them out in that stretch several mornings in the past few months.)
Of course, that did cause several mini-backups with drivers rubbernecking at the pretty flashing lights on the pulled-over police cars. I guess we can't have our cake and eat it too.
Steve Ginsberg: Well at least you didn't get caught in hours-long backups like the folks over in Virginia did last week. A sudden HOV crackdown on I-395 there slowed drivers for miles. The police found themselves frustrated because drivers have been begging for more surveillance but weren't willing to suffer through the consequences. Seems like they could have found a way to pull people over without stopping all traffic, though.
Washington, D.C.: Thanks for calling a circle a circle. In D.C., we don't call them roundabouts!
Steve Ginsberg: I'm also able to call a square a square but I really struggle when it comes to parallelograms and rombuses. (All rombuses are squares, but not all squares are rombuses, right?)
Rosslyn, Va. (formerly Lincoln, Neb.): Steve,
Thanks to you and everyone else for the help getting into town. We took I-270 to the outer loop to Arlington Blvd. all the way to Rosslyn. It was much easier driving than we thought. The traffic around noon was manageable, and knowing which way we were going helped a lot.
Now, since neither my roommate nor I have a car, I'm sure that more of our questions will be directed to Lyndsey.
Steve Ginsberg: Hey! It's our new neighbor form Lincoln who everyone so graciously helped a couple weeks ago. Glad you made it safe and sound. And I won't be offended if you only ask Lyndsey questions. She's far cooler than I am anyway.
Dunn Loring, Va.: Two problems with the proposed HOT lanes on the Beltway in Virginia: (1) If you don't continue them into Maryland, you'll have bottlenecks at both ends, especially that horror at the Wisconsin Ave. exit where the Inner Loop dwindles down to two lanes. God Himself couldn't design that away. (2) I remain philosophically opposed to toll roads in and around our nation's capital. It shouldn't have to hurt to visit this city, of all cities in our country. Being a tourist in Washington should be a celebration, not a fleecing. And with privatizing roads, we're continuing that grand tradition of turning over basic government services to the private sector, where profit has no business, sorry. Whatever happened to politicians with backbones?
Steve Ginsberg: The way things are going, you're going to be very disappointed. All anyone talks about these days is toll roads. There are many, like yourself, who see this as an abdication of duty by elected officials who don't want to raise taxes to pay for new roads, but others see them as a fairer way to pay for roads. If you use, you pay for it. The public seems to generally like the idea of toll roads--until one is proposed on roads they use.
New to Arlington, Va.: Hi, I'm new to the D.C. metro area, and there are some things I don't understand. It seems the ICC is opposed because it will develop rural lands, but it seems to me that much of what is called "rural" here is estates of wealthy people, like Potomac, Md. I guess my question is: what is the definition of "rural" vs. "urban", and has the region considered defining urban growth zones like in Oregon?
Steve Ginsberg: Welcome to the area. The ICC is opposed for many reasons. The rural land issue has a lot to do with the land beyond the ICC. Where the road would actually go is pretty developed as it is, but there is a fear out there that a new, major highway in that area would stretch development further north to undeveloped areas. And I would agree with your take on the idea of "rural" versus "urban" around here. You'd have to drive at least an hour in any direction to get to an area that fits my definition of rural, and even then you'd probably not quite be there. The local definitions are partly remnants of a generation ago when big parts of close-in counties were actually rural. I also think people use the terms to bolster their arguments. It sounds a lot worse when you claim that xx development would pave over rural land.
Washington, D.C.: You may have been joking, but in case you are concerned about rhombus vs. square ... every square is a rhombus (4 sides of equal length) but not every rhombus is a square (4 sides of equal length all at right angles to each other). Just in case it would keep you up nights not to know.
Steve Ginsberg: shoot. I always got that one wrong.
Squaresville: Actually, it's spelled rhombus. Squares are in fact rhombuses (and both are parallelograms).
Steve Ginsberg: I got an A in geometry. I swear. I'm going to dig up my report card.
Mapquest, Hell: Speaking of Mapquest, a few years ago I used the site to get directions to FedEx Field. I ended up in a residential neighborhood a few miles from the actual stadium, along with several other lost Redskins fans.
Steve Ginsberg: There are a lot of stories out there about how MapQuest doesn't really work. And yet we all still use it, right? (Or now Yahoo or Goodle maps.)
K Street -- re traffic circles: You bring up an interesting point about traffic circles -- why on earth do we have them if we just load them up with stoplights? Their entire point is to keep traffic 'moving' ... seems like they're more decorative than functional.
I was driving over in England about six months ago (and they have perhaps an over-use of them), and it's much easier, smoother, faster when there aren't stoplights mucking up the works.
Steve Ginsberg: Amen. A traffic circle filled with stop lights doesn't serve much of a traffic function. Either keep us all moving--at least most of us--or put in some lights. They're also hard to walk across, which cuts down a little on their other uses.
Clifton, Va.: When is it legal to use the green arrow lanes on RT 66? When the arrow changes from red to green or by time?
Steve Ginsberg: You have to have a green arrow to use those lanes. They change by set times, but there are exceptions, so only use them when the arrow is green.
This is a good general rule of driving: green means go, red means stop.
Mapquest article: As long as you're doing an article on Mapquest, can you find out why the site removed the ability to chart two locations on the same map? That was by far the most useful function of the site for me, and I'm amazed they took it off.
Steve Ginsberg: I'll make sure to ask.
Who could I contact with VDOT or Fairfax Co. about suggesting a new traffic light? There's an intersection just off of 28 that I travel through both ways to work that is just screaming for a light. Thanks for the help.
Steve Ginsberg: Howdy. The Fairfax transportation people can be reached at 703-324-1100. Good luck.
Arlington, Va.: Is there any talk of expanding the Cabin John Parkway to two lanes on each side? There is a bad merging right at the exit of MacArthur Blvd., in the mornings. If expansion is out of the question, why not just open up both lanes in the morning and that would eliminate the bottleneck. It would not cost much -- just some new signage.
Steve Ginsberg: I have not heard a single person talk about expanding Cabin John Parkway.
Washington, D.C.: The police were all over the entry and exit ramps on 66 last week (at Falls Church) methodically pulling over HOV violators by the dozens. Didn't cause any back-ups that I saw, as they ramp shoulders are very wide. I was most pleased to see them actually enforcing the rules.
Steve Ginsberg: Seems like the police comes out en masse once or twice a year, usually during the summer. This normally cuts down on cheaters for a little while, and then they all return. The state raised fines and penalties last year, so perhaps people will be less inclined to return this time around.
Washington, D.C.: Re: HOV crackdown on 95 last week
Seems like a lot of people are complaining about the traffic backup, but this isn't the fault of the police. It's the fault of the rubberneckers. Let's put the blame where it belongs. Continual enforcement would mean less violators, which would mean less enforcement needed. Let's just bite the bullet and get the worst of it over with.
Steve Ginsberg: Rubberneckers are so annoying, aren't they? Like a police officer pulling over a driver is the most AMAZING thing they have ever seen in their lives.
Washington, D.C.: I am originally from Long Island, N.Y., and became very reliant on the Long Island Railroad (LIRR). Why doesn't the greater D.C. metropolitan area have a service that is similar.
Steve Ginsberg: Because we're so unbelievably stupid and will never be as good as the great Goddess that is New York. (Just what you thought I'd say, right?)
Maryland has MARC and Virginia has VRE and both are pretty good, if limited. I suspect that they will continue to grow as the region does.
Silver Spring, Md.: Drove thru the new circle on Rt 29 in Maryland just north of Rt 198 -- they have done a terrible job of signage. You have to virtualy guess at which way to go. I had to go all around once and saw many other cars doing the same thing with a confused look on their face. Not only is it confusing but there is no warning of a new traffic pattern, etc., ahead of time. I hope when it is done they do a better job.
Steve Ginsberg: I wonder if a rHombus would have worked better.
Fredericksburg, Va.: Why are the HOV lanes In Virginis on I-95 and 395 HOV3 where I66 and all other that I know of aren't? Who actually is in favor of HOT lanes other than politicians unwilling to make difficult choices? I can find no average commuter who wants them.
Steve Ginsberg: Many, many people support HOT lanes, but a surprisingly large number of people who use I-395 hate the idea. These are primarily slugs who think, perhaps rightly, that HOT lanes will be the end of their innovative system. Virginia is just starting the process of considering HOT lanes for 395 and it'll be interesting to see how this plays out.
Rosslyn, Va.: According to MapQuest, my apartment building doesn't exist. Or may be it's unplotable. In any case, I use Rand McNally. And no, I don't work for them.
Steve Ginsberg: You mean you use an actual map, like people from the Stone Age?
Re. LIRR: The LIRR wasn't the best for all -- I lived at the end of the P.J. line -- talk about getting nowhere fast.
Steve Ginsberg: Take that New York!
Arlington, Va.: The bad news is, chronic drivers will continue to pay increasing amounts for gas as world oil product drops, slowly at first and then with more rapidity. The New York Times has a decent article on why this is the case:
The Breaking Point (The New York Times, Aug. 21)
The good news is that for the people that can afford it, the highways will soon be less crowded! Yippeee!
Steve Ginsberg: With high gas prices and toll roads on the horizon, it's pretty easy to imagine a 10-mile drive costing $10 or more. I bet that would change a lot of opinions on public transit and other ways of getting around.
RubberNecking Defender: You should always pay attention to a cop who has stopped somebody. He may be ready to move on to YOU.
Steve Ginsberg: Challenge yourself and see if you can pay attention while still going the speed limit.
Re: Long Island RR and MARC and VRE: If I am not mistaken, the tracks used by the LIRR are owned by the LIRR, unlike the tracks used by MARC and VRE. A dedicated line is much easier to maintain and keep on schedule than one that has to share with freight trains, Amtrak, etc. Especially when you are the low man on the totem pole like the VRE and MARC.
Steve Ginsberg: You are correct about MARC and VRE. I don't know about the LIRR.
Rockville, Md.: Oil is finite and depleting. We have been burning more oil than we discover worldwide since 1980. America's oil production peaked in 1970, and many experts think that global oil production will peak in one to five years.
In light of this, does the ICC make any sense? Wouldn't it be better to put our money into the Purple Line?
Steve Ginsberg: Maybe. But just because oil is depleting doesn't mean that cars are going to be extinct. Some clever fellas power their cars with grease from fast food restaurants, and, lord knows, there's plenty of that to go around.
Gainesville, Va.: When motorists toss cigarettes out their car window, isn't it considered littering? I find it selfish when someone smoking in their own car chooses to use the road instead of their own ashtray. It's also frustrating when, on occasion, one can find the butts stuck in the front grill of their car.
Steve Ginsberg: This drives me nuts. Somewhere in the course of American history it became okay to throw cigarette butts wherever you want. It's always seemed like one of those still-smoldering things would hit a gas spot and ignite, although I have to admit I don't ever recall reading anything like that.
Rhomb, US: The problem with rubberneckers is that it really only takes one. Once the first one slows down, then the rest of us have to also, and if we're going to be driving by slowly anyway, we may as well take a look.
Steve Ginsberg: That's true. A couple slow-pokes can ruin it for the rest of us. But that's what the horn and tailgating are for.
(Settle down people, I'm only kidding.)
Reston, Va.: Is that 703-324-1100 Fairfax VDOT number also valid to request a pedestrian signal? Is there an online link on VDOT's Web site and if so where?
Steve Ginsberg: It's the right place to start. VDOT will have a role, but the county comes first.
Arlington, Va.: Love the chats. On the Dulles Toll Road, most exits have a single "full service/SmartTag/EZPass" lane and a single "exact change/Smart Tag/EZPass" lane. This tends to defeat the point of having the SmartTag, since people are often trapped behind people digging for quarters. Shouldn't it be the policy of whoever maintains this road to PROMOTE the use of SmartTag/EZPass by increasing the number of toll booths requiring its use alone? Put people requiring full service and those with exact change in the same lane. This would greatly increase the incentive to get a pass, which it seems to me should be the whole point of the program. I can't believe that 50 percent of drivers on that road are not regular commuters who couldn't get one of those passes. Any thoughts?
Steve Ginsberg: Thanks, we love doing the chats. I think it's only a matter of time before there's a lot more consideration given to accommodating EZPass and SmartTag users. Right now, some tool booths do it well (the new one on the Jersey Turnpike, for instance) and others are still figuring out that you need dedicated lanes, etc.
Washington, D.C.: Hope it's not too late for a question. Twice in the last two weeks I've seen grown men on the mini-motorcycles (the ones that are about 1.5 feet high, and sold as toys) riding around on busy streets. This is extremely dangerous -- since the cycles are so low, the rider is below a driver's window and out of sight of the mirror. It's just a matter of time before someone gets hit. Aren't these illegal on the streets? Or shouldn't they be?
Steve Ginsberg: They're not and I don't know if they should be. Certainly sounds dangerous.
Re: HOV enforcement: Police always have people pulled over on the Glebe Road. exit of 66W during restricted times. When I drive past on Glebe Road I have to cheer when there are seven or eight cars there, but then I feel bad for the two motorcycle and one patrol car cop having to deal with the masses. I just point this out so people know that there is regular enforcement and it doesn't cause back-ups because the cars are on the ramp and unseen from 66.
Steve Ginsberg: It's much easier to do on an exit/entry ramp than the middle of a freeway.
Kensington, Md.: By and large it seems the Metro needs to do some housecleaning as far as rude employees are concerned. Why should they even be employed in an industry that relies so heavily on good customer service? Where else would this be tolerated?
Steve Ginsberg: This is a chronic complaint and problem for Metro. They promised to do better about a year ago, but from what we hear from customers the situation hasn't improved much. There are some fantastically helpful Metro workers, but by and large it's a pain to ask them even the simplest of questions.
Cigarette Butts: I once saw a cigarette butt flicked out of the window of a car ignite some curbside bushes/mulch. This was during a really bad drought, so conditions were ideal, but it does happen ...
Steve Ginsberg: I knew it!
Re: cigarettes thrown out the window: Never heard of a butt igniting an oil or gas slick, but a butt tossed out of a car has flown into my open window! Believe me, that was a case where my road rage was justified. I followed the offender and cussed them out royally at the next light! Wanted to snatch that guy out of his car and give him a piece of my mind, but I can't afford to lose that big of a piece ...
Steve Ginsberg: You're a hero for the masses. And lucky you didn't get into an accident.
McLean, Va.: As someone else who has used the various commuter railroads in the NYC area, mostly Metro North, I got used to having it available on weekends and holidays and not just during commuter hours. One of the big reasons I don't go to Orioles games is that MARC does not provide service on the weekends or late on weekdays and I don't always want to drive.
One good reason for having the Nats in town. Maybe Mr. Angelos can build a railroad.
Steve Ginsberg: Based on his ability to build a baseball team, I wouldn't get your hopes up.
Falls Church, Va.: Re: Some clever fellas power their cars with grease from fast food restaurants ...
The problem is that it takes a lot of oil-based products to create and transport that "grease" -- this is also a problem when folks say ethanol is the answer. A tremendous amount of oil-based products (fertilizer, insect repellant) are used in its production and transportation. Nothing is for free..
Steve Ginsberg: No, nothing is. My point is that cars run on oil because we have always had plenty of oil. When oil starts to run dry, my guess is clever people will find other ways to run cars, rather than just giving up on the automobile.
Arlington, Va.: I live in the same development as Rosslyn does and because we have an Arlington Blvd. address with no entry on Arlington Blvd. (It is on Lynn Street), Mapquest doesn't recognize us. Perhaps this is more the fault of street numbers than of a computer program.
By the way, coming into Boston using Mapquest to find our hotel, we got lost on a roundabout and fortunately saw a parked police car and the policewoman said "follow me" and got us to the hotel.
Steve Ginsberg: MapQuest actually uses real people riding around the streets to do a lot of their maps. But I can see how it's hard to keep up with all the new development that goes on in regions like ours.
Silver Spring, Md.: Years ago someone threw a cigar butt their window. It hit me dead square in the middle of my face shield. It almost knocked me off my motorcycle. (Try getting hit with something at 60 miles an hour, it hurts, even if it is soft.)
Steve Ginsberg: ouch. glad you're okay.
Steve Ginsberg: okay everyone. I have to sign off just a couple minutes early. Thanks for the great chat. It's a good way to kick off the week.
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.
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Washington Post staff writer Lyndsey Layton and Steven Ginsberg will discuss local travel and transportation.
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Post Magazine: With God as Their Witness
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From Armageddon to Mount Sinai, a group of Western travelers confronted the spiritual beliefs that divide them from the Muslim world, and from one another.
Writer Peter Perl, whose essay about the three-week journey to the Holy Land appeared in yesterday's The Washington Post Magazine , was online Monday, Aug. 22 to field questions and comments.
Peter Perl is director of newsroom training and professional development at The Post.
Peter Perl: Welcome everyone. We have quite a few interesting comments and questions and I will try to get to everyone. Thanks for joining us.
Arlington, Va.: Mr. Perl, I would like to know if there are similar programs like the METS program that i can participate in. As a lay person in graduate school, i would like to go on a similar trip as yours, which is something that i've always dreamed of. Does the METS program take non-seminarian type student travelers? If not, can you recommend any that do? Thanks.
Peter Perl: You can get more information on the METS program at www.metsprogram.com. The lay people are selected by a committee based on referrals from people who have previously been on the METS trip. I have heard anecdotally that various religious groups sponsor similar trips, but I don't know specifics.
Virginia Beach, Va.: Mr. Perl, I really enjoyed your article in yesterday's Post magazine. It stirred some questions in my mind about Christianity in relation to other religions of the world.
After listening in horror to religious leaders debating who went to heaven following the December tsunami in Asia, I realized that Christianity takes an arrogant stance in saying that it is the ONLY way for a soul to reach heaven (i.e., a belief in Jesus). Even though I was raised in the Christian faith, I have a hard time believing that God loves only those of this faith, and excludes everyone else on earth. I have come to believe that God is a loving and all-inclusive being who loves ALL his children on earth.
It sounds like Islam takes a similar exclusionary stance in relation to God. I would like your thoughts on the current clash between Christianity and Islam playing out in Iraq.
Thanks again for a great article!
Peter Perl: Thanks for your response. I notice from the many comments and questions that people have very, very passionate feelings here, so I will be posting your comments and, when appropriate, sharing some of my perspective. In this case, I think it is unfair to label any of the major religions for being too dogmatic--but surely there are individuals and groups of extremists within all these religions who I believe have done more harm than good. Personally, I think there is an element of Christian triumphalism in the Iraq misadventure--but I hope I am wrong.
Alexandria, Va.: Do religious Moslems believe that the whole world must become Moslem, and that there will be violence if we don't?
Peter Perl: I do not feel qualified to comment on this, except the violence part, and I strongly believe the answer to that part of your question is no. Are there Muslim readers who would like to comment on this??
Bowie, Md.: Mr. Perl, thank you so much for a wonderfully informative reflection of an experience I hope to have some day. Please know many of the Christian faith share your frustration with the negative effects of what Bishop Tutu calls Christian triumphalism: continued conflict among faiths and among various kinds of Christianity. When will humans recognize that God, not any of us, decides who is righteous and who is worthy of salvation? Put another way, why do humans decide our limited intellects can discern the mind of God, who is all-knowing. Shalom!
Peter Perl: Thank you for your thoughts.
Washington, DC: This was a very interesting article.
Two questions: you say that you found both Matthew's and Sofian's religious views too narrow and exclusive. Have you ever considered that perhaps Judaism is just as narrow? After all, Christians believe Jesus is the way to God and Muslims believe that Mohammed was Allah's prophet. Jews believe that Jesus was NOT the Son of God. Have you ever considered that perhaps He was? Judaism keeps existing based on the belief that Jesus was not the Messiah.
Also, when visiting Israel, did you ever feel that the Holy Land is holy for people of all three faiths, and isn't just the domain of Jews?
Peter Perl: I think narrowness and exclusivity are not limited to any one faith, including Judaism. And surely I did not intend to suggest that the Holy Land "belonged" to any single religion.
Virginia: Throughout the article you kept returning to inclusiveness. You pointed out how none of the religions were inclusive enough for you as to the rigidity of their beliefs. Isn't religion by its very nature exclusive? Either you believe or you don't. While I expect I could find many places where I disagree with your roommate on the trip -- dancing being one -- I agree with the main idea that makes us Christians, the only way to Heaven is through Jesus. If we didn't believe that we wouldn't be Christians.
You cannot find a religion that includes everyones beliefs. Even if a religion included all beliefs doesn't that exclude me because I disagree?
Peter Perl: Thanks for your comment. For the record, my roommate, Matthew, is NOT against dancing. He is actually a good dancer, as we learned on the last night of our trip, when he danced at a restaurant in Athens. He was just against belly dancing in a public setting.
Monroe, Conn: Dear Mr. Perl,
Thank you for sharing such textured reflective impressions of the spiritual journey you experienced on your METS trip. Two essential insights you described: (1) violence in the name of God, and (2) the disturbing sense of exclusive scripture, taken jointly led you to close your article expressing extraordinarily powerful eloquence of "inner yearning", has inspired me to share with you. I invite you to explore for several moments a course syllabus on the "Landmark Forum" located at: http://www.landmarkeducation.com/display_content.jsp?top=21&mid=59&bottom=62 Many themes presented in this secular (yet spiritually all-inclusive) ontology on relational life transformation, were adapted from original concepts Werner Erhard organized into the popular "est" training of the early-70's. Erhard seeded a universal view of unimaginable boundless possibilities for how to "live a life you love", whose commitments e.g. to end global hunger by founding the Hunger Project earned him the Mahatma Gandhi Humanitarian Award. Taking place over a 3-day weekend, the "Landmark Forum" sheds a bright light to reveal the undistinguished prisms and human interrelationship mechanisms that contribute to reinforcing fixed "ways of being" e.g. religious extremism. Similar to what you related METS leader Max Miller had to say about lay travelers, so too, does taking the "Landmark Forum" empower a person to steer a new direction in life of one's own choosing. Beyond self development, organizations recognize the workplace relevance of its distinctions, e.g. Fortune magazine article dated May 15, 1995, subsequently Harvard Business School did a 1997 case study on Landmark Education Corporation that you may find useful in your current role at the Post.
I imagine your article will generate abundant readership interest, given the prevailing climate of religious tension. Would you consider in future articles building? upon this thread that you've just now offered a significant contribution to bridge misunderstanding. I recall my early-70's Arlington, VA, high school days delivering the Washington Post during the momentous congressional Watergate proceedings, how Woodward and Bernstein's reporting contributed to reshaping national politics as we know it today. I deeply admire the possibility writers such as yourself can express their voice to make a sustainable difference.
Peter Perl: Thanks for your comment.
Alexandria, Va.: Can you talk about your safety concerns during your travels, particularly through Jerusalem, West Bank, and Gaza. Was it relatively safe?
Peter Perl: I felt safe throughout the trip. METS has 25 years of experience and we did not take unnecessary risks. But it was sobering to spend time in Israel, where so many people are armed; and during our time in Egypt, the government assigned us a bodyguard who carried a submachine gun.
Generally, though, most people were warm and welcoming.
Rockville, Md.: Do you feel that your very limited Jewish education put you at a disadvantage in discussing religious and theological issues compared to your tour-mates, most of whom were advanced seminary students?
Peter Perl: Yes. My Jewish education is indeed limited--and I plan to broaden my knowledge of Judaism and other faiths as well.
Rochester, Minn.: In your article you mentioned Muslims believe " There is no God but Allah". I want to know where did you get that translation from arabic. Allah itself means God. So if thats right the whole line stands for There is no God but God. Doesn't make any sense. Another thing is people of other belief mightbe confused thinking that Muslims saying their God is the only God.
The correct translation "THERE IS NO DEITY WORTHY OF WORSHIP EXCEPT ALLAH, AND MUHAMMAD IS HIS MESSENGER "
Hopefully, confusion is not intentional.
Peter Perl: Thank you for this clarification. I hope it is helpful.
Atlanta, Ga.: More people are murdered for religious or ethnic reasons than any other. Shouldn't religion be regulated just like drugs, since people on religion are making decisions that are not based on reality?
Peter Perl: That's a new one on me. This is also the beauty of Web discussions...you never know what perspectives you will encounter.
Seems like your proposal might have a bit of a hard time in Congress, though.
College Park, Md: I found this article to be very stimulating and thought provoking. I would simply like to try to clarify the idea of interfaith harmony. Jesus claimed to be the the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He told his followers that what he said is true and good and he will lead all people to the perfect life. He told us tha he gave up his life to bring all people to God. He realized that his ultimate sacrifice would bring salvation to the whole world. He did not exclude anyone from this salvation. He came to save everyone who is sincerely looking for and following what is good and true. He did this by offering his life on the Cross and by his rising from the dead (which is the miracle.) Christ saves them regardless of their background and religious upbringing. This includes non-believers and members of whatever religious denomination, provided in their hearts and actions they seek what is good and true, which is what Jesus is! True religion is a source of peace and unity, not a source of division, violence and war. Before Jesus came, the meaning of religion had not reached its fullness. Before him the meaning and understanding of religion was still in the process of growth and evolution. But since he came the fulfillment of what he promised remains in the process of being totally and fully completed. This is why true religion is one and a source of unity. If it is anything else it is not the real thing!
Brooklyn, NY: I enjoyed reading your article on your METS trip to the Middle East. My father is a Lebanese-Palestinian Christian atheist and my mother is a British Catholic. I have spent quite a bit of time traveling in the Middle East over the past 10 years and your descriptions of the Umuyad Mosque in Damascus and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, as well as your sad description of Bethlehem, rang true with my own experiences in those places. I was disappointed that your METS tour did not take you further afield in Syria in order to visit some of the fabulous Eastern Orthodox Christian monasteries and churches which are much less touristy than the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and which might have given you and your fellow travelers a more moving spiritual experience and one which in many ways bridges the cultural gap between "Western" religious traditions and those in the Muslim world. Eastern Christians and Muslims have lived side by side for nearly one and a half millennia, and have only been able to do so due to a degree of mutual tolerance and shared customs unimaginable in the -almost] solidly Christian West. For example, at the Convent of Seidnaya, near Homs, Syria, you can visit the icon of the Virgin of Seidnaya painted by St. Luke, which attracts equal numbers of Christians and Muslims who come to pray for the intervention of the icon's famed fertility powers. When I lived in Syria for six months between October 2000 and March 2001, my Syrian Muslim host family took me on a weekend daytrip to the town of Ma'aloula (about 45 minutes from Damascus). The Samaan family regularly visits the town's grotto chapel and on our trip Mrs. Samaan, a devout Muslim, brought a plastic bottle of olive oil with her to be blessed by the Christian monks and told me that she sometimes dreams that she is walking through the ravine behind the grotto.
Peter Perl: Thanks for your observation. We actually travelled extensively in Syria and went to some decidedly non-touristy places. I just did not have room to include all of that in the story. Some of the more modest settings, particularly the monasteries, were indeed very moving to visit.
Fairfax, Va.: I was sorry to hear about your experiences at the Western Wall. I went there in July for the first time (a family member got married in Israel). While there were a few beggers, I didn't feel harassed. (Actually there is a sign posted that begging is not allowed, I guess it isn't heavily enforced) And the representative from Chabad stayed at a booth offering Tefillins, not chasing after people. Sorry to hear the experience wasn't as good for you. Did your group tour more of the Old City? I was fascinated, but kept getting all turned around. I'll have to go back with a group or someone who knows the way.
Peter Perl: A magazine story, particularly a reported essay such as mine, is inevitably a subjective viewpoint. I shared with readers my discomfort at the Wall, and I had strongly negative feelings. No doubt that was determined partly by my own background and beliefs. Others will visit and come away with a totally different experience.
Silver Spring, Md: I found your article very moving and spiritual. However, I was saddened by your disappointment at the Wall. You need to look within to determine why you felt so estranged rather than blaming the other people who were there. You clearly identify culturally as a Jew, but seem most comfortable among Christians. Indeed, your experience at the Mosque seemed to parallel your discomfort at the Wall. Could it be that you are more comfortable with Christianity simply because you know more about it?
Peter Perl: A very interesting observation and, for me, food for thought.
Upper Marlboro, Md.: Do you keep in touch with anyone that you travelled with? In particular, do you keep in touch with your roommate, Matthew or have your corresponded with the guide? Though you may not appreciate firm believers in any faith, Matthew seemed to be genuinely interested in how he interacted with people of other belief systems.
Peter Perl: Yes, I have been in touch with several of my fellow travelers, including Matthew. Matthew and I consider each other to be friends--and I hope the article doesn't change that for him. We also have a 'reunion' of the entire group in Atlanta next month.
Kensington, Md.: thank you for sharing your journey to the "Holy Land" We had a similar journey recently that lasted 5-6 months, but we never left home. It started with the intent to produce our own creche/nativity scene and led to the idea that Bethlehem claims all of us - spiritually and actually. The political clamor for land is meaningless. We'd like to share our journey with you and if you care to pass it on to your fellow travelers we will be indebited. We set up a website for the purpose of sharing: www.crecheproject.com Thanks again to you and Matthew. We are collectors and will display 70+ creches in our home during December and January.
Peter Perl: Sounds quite interesting. I'm sure some readers would indeed like to check it out.
Thanks for the article it was very interesting and moving. I enjoyed reading about the interfaith prayer that you experienced and how it made you feel. If perfection of worship is possible, then it can be found in what you did. The worship of God shared in a way that expresses love and the purest form of Humanity in companionship is a lesson for all people.
It is amazing to me that different people can all read the same article and all come to different conclusions as to your feelings and your intentions with the article. Thanks for doing this discussion after publishing your article so everyone can see that.
Peter Perl: Thanks. Yes, I've been a Magazine writer and editor for nearly 15 years and it never ceases to amaze me how different readers take away differing meanings--often depending on what they brought to the experience in the first place.
Ashburn, Va.: Have you changed your view of God (more than just a concept), and were any of your Christian companions able to explain that Christianity is about a relationship with Jesus, not about converting to a religion?
Peter Perl: Good questions. I would like to think that my sense of God was deepened by this trip. I am still sorting that out. And yes, my Christian friends were not preaching 'conversion' at all. It was more about relating to Jesus.
McLean, Va.: Your article was fascinating. As a devout athiest, I traveled to Israel in 2000 for a friend's wedding -- 3 weeks before the intifada broke out (again).
I found much to ponder in Israel, one of which was that the religious geography doesn't seem to allow for a lasting peace. The Al Aqsa mosque was built on the ruins of the temple. Churches built on top of other holy sites, etc.
Quite simply, there was no way to allow the various ethnic/religous groups to hold domain over their holiest sites without stepping on somebody else's toes.
Did you get the same feeling?
Peter Perl: You can't help but realize that all these faiths literally live together in the Middle East, particularly in Jerusalem. So yes, it seems that they either will learn to live together or continue to kill each other. It is quite sad, but I don't think it is hopeless.
Woodbridge Va: Dear Mr. Perl,
I read your article with great interest and want you to know that I am praying for you.
I'm a Jewish believer and I believe in the healing power of the Holy Spirit. That is what is getting me through during this trying time. My father recently passed away on August 8, 2005. He was also a Jewish believer. He was brought up in a Sephardic Orthodox Jewish home. He became a baptized believer on June 6, 1992. I know he has been healed of multiple myeloma and is in heaven right now.
I'd just like to ask you one question. Do you know where you will be one day?
The Jews for Jesus ministry can answer your question. You can go to their website at www.jewsforjesus.org for some important answers to this question.
I'll be praying for you. Sholom Aleichem. May the peace of the L-rd be with you always.
Peter Perl: Thank you for your prayers.
Washington, DC: I have to put in a word for another side: Do the people who arrange trips like the one you took ever try to include atheists or agnostics in the group? (Might be hard to find one who would go.) More to the point, are these people learning to repsect the views of non-believers as much as they do the beliefs of organized religions? I was raised in an atmosphere where ideas about religion were just as fair game for critical thinking (not blind belief) as ideas about anything else, and I think that point of view needs to be recognized and respected.
Peter Perl: Good question. METS does not actually screen people for their religious beliefs, but the lay people tend to be predominantly Christians. A small number of Jews and Catholics have gone, but no Muslims. I urged several METS officials to consider a special effort to include Muslims. I am not sure how they would react to atheists or agnostics--depends in large part on whether they would be good company on a long trip.
Texas: One important difference, for me, between the three religions is that Christianity and Islam are evangelistic--they actively seek new converts (sometimes, historically, by coersion). Judaism, as far as I know, doesn't place a premium on convincing Christians and Muslims to convert.
I think that's an important distinction. And I, a non-practicing Christian, prefer the Jewish approach.
Peter Perl: I agree on the Jewish perspective. Most Jewish groups are not evangelistic, but I think the degree of evangelism varies among and within the other faiths.
Your article was great, it was wonderful to hear about people of different religions experiencing the whole trip together. But I wonder was there any discussion of atheism during the trip? Would there have been any tolerance for an atheist and their views among a group that is mostly devoutly religious?
Peter Perl: I didn't participate in any discussions explicitly about atheism, and yet, several of the more candid seminarians talked about the times in which they have doubted God--so people would not be averse to such discussion. I actually think that a thoughtful atheist would do fine on a trip like this.
Damascus, Md.: Hello Peter Perl, I experienced a tremendous sense of Holy Spirit stirrings, genuine excitement, and wonder as I read of your travels to the Holy Land. It is a trip I hope to take in my lifetime. As an upcoming second career seminarian, I was enamored with the idea of taking the trip with other faithminded (yet not all of the same religion) people. Thank you for sharing your spiritual journey. It definitely gave me more food for thought for the trip I will eventually pursue! I couldnt help but wonder if you had read Bruce Feiler's book Walking the Bible before you travelled? If not, you would certainly enjoy reading it now. Once again, thank you for sharing.If you (or anyone else who took this trip) write any more about your travels, I would definitely enjoy reading it. Grace and Peace, Linda Motter
Peter Perl: Thank you very much. And yes, Bruce Feiler was among the readings I did before I went, and I also found it a worthy book.
Silver Spring, Md.: Thank you for your thought-provoking article.
As an Orthodox Jew, I wanted to comment on your experience at the Western Wall. Throughout your article, you return to a theme of inclusiveness, but I feel that you might have less tolerance for the Orthodox Jewish tradiiton, and perhaps viewed some of your experiences a pre-conceived negative view of the Orthodox.
In the many times I have been to the Western Wall, I am usually accosted by a half-dozen people asking for charity, despite the fact that I am not dressed like an 'outsider.' Charity is commonly coupled with prayer, and (while I personally find the interruptions to be annoying impediments to my attempt to connect with Gd) I try not to judge those who are so poor that they need to demean themselves by asking strangers for spare change.
Also, I didn't understand your resentment of the treatment you received at the Western Wall. You yourself write that "I was clearly a Western tourist with only the surface trappings of Judaism" and yet were offended, stunned and angry when a man dared to ask if you were a Jew. And, believe it or not, I too have been asked whether I was a Jew -- as a prelude to an invitation to pray as a group. I doubt anyone meant the question to be insulting to you.
As for a question...I know you didn't have space in the article to mention every event you experienced, but could you share with us whether you had any sessions with Orthodox Jews, where you listened to their explanations for what they do?
Thank you for your thoughts.
Peter Perl: Thank you. I think you are probably correct about my having preconceived ideas. I am not sure how to rise above that, but your comment is quite thought-provoking. I think I may have been thin-skinned at that moment because I had high expectations of a spiritual experience, but then was confronted by behavior that seemed to me 'proprietary'--as if the Wall belonged to the Orthodox and I was being somehow screened for admittance. And that made me angry.
Wonderful article. One of my primary responsibilities is coordinating an cross-cultural immmersion program for seminary students here in DC. Thanks for the contact info with METS. Question: are you open to speaking engagements on your experience in another culture?
Peter Perl: Thank you. Your program sounds interesting. Not sure how much I can add, but we can talk.
Springfield, Va: Mr. Perl, I wanted to ask about your comments on religious pluralism. One thing that troubles me as an Orthodox Christian is that those who talk about wanting interfaith dialogues and cooperation along with the freedom to express and live out religious beliefs unhindered seem to imply that all points of view are valid as long as the end result of discussion is that we all agree that each point of view is an equally valid path to God. Isn't that also an absolute truth position, that to be truly "faithful" (or whatever term you choose here) one must at least acknowledge that there are many paths to God? It seems to me that there is no room in such "tolerant" thinking for a person who believes as Matthew does, and as I do. You are asking us to compromise what we believe, and we can't do that and follow Christ. To respond to your charge at the end to Matthew that he seems to use his absolute belief in Christ as the only way to salvation and also your assertion that True Believers have no uncertainty about where God is in their lives, to both I have to heartily disagree with you. We are certain about God, but at the very heart of Christianity is the acknowledgement that God is sovereign and just and we are not. The more that I spend time with God by reading Scripture, the more I get out of my relationship with Him. It's not a static relationship--Paul says that the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. Thanks for your honesty and respect in writing this article. I believe that the interfaith group in the MIddle East that you mentioned in your article has understood what interfaith joining really means: that Muslims, Christians and Jews should not, indeed cannot, "neuter" their religions but embrace the other's position "in a deep enough way to be willing to compromise." Loving, with peace but strong conviction, I say that I cannot compromise when it comes to Christ and what he did for me. I will help feed, clothe, talk to, laugh with, cry with, pray for all who are in need--but I cannot deny Christ as the way, the truth, and the life.
Peter Perl: Thank you very much. I hear you.
Arlington, Va.: A well-written, thought-provoking article, Mr. Perl. While I understand that METS is designed mainly for Protestant seminarians, your party included two Jewish participants, and Muslim guides, but no Catholics of any variety. Is that a function of the trip you happened to cover, or does that reflect a larger theme, i.e., Catholics self-selecting to not participate in the program or not being extended an invitation to participate?
Peter Perl: The absence of Catholics on our trip was somewhat random. I was invited on the trip by a Catholic woman who had attended previously. I can not speak to how much 'outreach' METS does in selecting its lay people.
Bethesda, Md.: I have to echo Atlanta's comment. While I think it's great that your underlying motive seems to emphasize cross- cultural understanding and the promotion of peace (something in dire short supply these days), it worries me that here in the 21st century we have countries like the US and many elsewhere whose actions are governed by their particular beliefs about their Imaginary Invisible Friend in the Sky. No psychologist would deem this the comporting of rational adults. We need to grow up if we are to survive, folks. Thanks.
Glendale, Calif.: Mr. Perl, I admire your ability to keep your cool when surrounded by people who sincerely believe that you will not be able to make it into heaven unless your convert to their reigion!
Like many Catholics, I disagreed with the Church's positions on, among other things, abortion, birth control, and married and women priests. Unless many Catholics, I did something about it by officially converting to the Episcopal Church.
This has convinced many friends and relatives that I am "going straight down," as one of them puts it, when I die. They ask, how can I substitute my judgment for that of the pope (easily), how can I do this to my elderly mother (who approves), and am I not sorry that I won't be seeing her in heaven? They dump on my mother, too, since only a rotten mother could have raised such a miserable excuse for a human being as her daugher; but she's a feisty lady who can pretty much hold her own (What? You never used birth control? etc.). But it is hurting some of her relationships as well.
Needless to say, I spend as little time as possible with most of these people, but I was close to many before this split and feel bad that it has occurred -- but not bad enough to convert back. I sometimes wonder if I should have faked it (I live in CA nd they live in Oklahoma, so I don't see them all that often), but that would have seemed hypocritical.
I think one difference is that your fellow travellers were willing to engage in dialogue and genuinely try to understand your feelings, even if they didn't agree. Would that all iconoclasts would be similarly open.
Peter Perl: Your experience is unfortunate. It's really too bad that religion divides families the way it does.
Fairfax, Va: I read, in your article, that you found that all of the monotheistic middle-Eastern religions and Jesus advocated or sponsored or resorted to violence.
I would like to have the Bible reference where Jesus has advocated violence. Can you share a quote from the Gospels, Acts or John's Dream (Revelation) that has Jesus doing what you say?
Peter Perl: I said that practitioners of all the religions had advocated and perpetrated violence, but I did not intend to say that Jesus advocated violence. I do not know scripture well enough to venture any references, but perhaps other readers do.
Arlington, Va.: Just wanted to clarify something about Muslims and conversions. Though we're told to teach people about our religion, Muslims don't believe it's our duty to convert them. Ocourse some people seem evangical I'm sure, the party line in Islam is that you can't what's in people's heart, just tell them about your religion so there's no misunderstanding, that's all.
Peter Perl: Thank you for that.
Decatur, Ga.: Peter, I was so thrilled to read the article about our trip. I think it is an entirely faithful account of the struggles all of us had along the way, as well as the immense joy. I am so glad that you were able to share a piece of our journey with all your readers, as this is the most life-changing event I have ever experienced. Thank you for a wonderful article.
Peter Perl: Thank you kindly, Carrie. Much appreciated.
Washington, DC: Mr. Perl, I thoroughly enjoyed your article, and I appreciate the comments that have been made here so far.
On the issue of exclusivity of religions, while I, as a Catholic Christian, BELIEVE that my religion provides the path to salvation, I do not KNOW that to be true. It seems to me that only God, if in fact there is a god, would KNOW the true way to salvation. In that case, we could all be more accepting of others, since no matter how fervent our belief, we could still be wrong.
Gaithersburg, Md.: Mr. Perl, I enjoyed your article. Below is something you might share with your fellow traveler, Matthew. It is an excerpt from one of the documents that came out of Vatican II. It partially addresses the belief of salvation as expressed by the Catholic Church. In essence, not-withstanding my own limitations of interpretation, the Catholic Church teaches that salvation is only through Jesus, as the promised Messiah, but Christianity is not the only way to or through Jesus. In other words, God has given us a clear path as a way to help us achieve salvation, i.e., the Church (that part he established on earth), but we don't accept that God has limited himself to that one path.
God bless us everyone, Patrick Joseph Peter Burke Catholic
DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH LUMEN GENTIUM SOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY HOLINESS POPE PAUL VI ON NOVEMBER 21, 1964 (Palm DOC)
16. Finally, those who have not yet received the Gospel are related in various ways to the people of God.(18-) In the first place we must recall the people to whom the testament and the promises were given and from whom Christ was born according to the flesh.(125) On account of their fathers this people remains most dear to God, for God does not repent of the gifts He makes nor of the calls He issues.(126); But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator. In the first place amongst these there are the Mohamedans, who, professing to hold the faith of Abraham, along with us adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge mankind. Nor is God far distant from those who in shadows and images seek the unknown God, for it is He who gives to all men life and breath and all things,(127) and as Saviour wills that all men be saved.(128) Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.(19-) Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is looked upon by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel.(20-) She knows that it is given by Him who enlightens all men so that they may finally have life. But often men, deceived by the Evil One, have become vain in their reasonings and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, serving the creature rather than the Creator.(129) Or some there are who, living and dying in this world without God, are exposed to final despair. Wherefore to promote the glory of God and procure the salvation of all of these, and mindful of the command of the Lord, "Preach the Gospel to every creature",(130) the Church fosters the missions with care and attention.
Peter Perl: I will pass along your comment to our readers.
Clarksville, Md.: I sent a previous note to you, but I think traditional Christians have made the Good News for them bad news for others. Christ DID die for ALL humans from "the foundation of the world" it was planned. He is not exclusive to labels. No one is good enough to be saved on their own. But through nature and other means may choose to know God. God is love and those who love are saved through Him whether they know it or not. Jesus did not want to start a new religion. Did any of your travelers who were Christian have a broader view of salvation?
Peter Perl: Yes, many of the seminarians had broader views. I highlighted my roommate, Matthew, because he was the person with whom I spent the most time talking, and because I found him a very compelling person.
Waldorf, Md.: Mr. Perl, I thoroughly enjoyed your article. I happen to be speaking with a friend who doesn't have an issue with believing those who don't believe in Jesus and the Bible, as my friend does, will go to hell. Given the amount of abuse God's children expreince in life, imagine hearing that comment from someone who professes to love you??
You, and many of your readers, validated my thought process...because we're all wired and learn differently, we must find our own path to God and peace. Nor do I see it as my place to think if anyone believes differently from my perspective that they're condemned in some way, which is what I find most offensive; these were apparently your roommate's feelings.
I recall you and another participant were of the Jewish faith, and there were those from Protestant denominations who participated. Where Catholics unavailable for such a wonderful opportunity?
Again, thank you for attempting to write about a difficult topic. Your effort is greatly appreciated. Be well.
Peter Perl: Thank you. As I mentioned above. Catholics have participated in the METS program.
Washington, DC: Most of the comments here as well as the article seem to operate on the assumption that God is who we say He is, or who we want Him to be. I have not heard any talk about the God who is there (see Francis Shaeffer's work on this). The latest writer from Washington DC says that he or she BELIEVES Christ is the way to salvation but does not KNOW this is true. How is that possible? We do not know everything there is to know about God, obviously; however, Christians believe that He gave us the Bible so that we can know something about HIM and what kind of relationship He wants with us, who we are, etc. If you believe in the validity of Scripture, then you do have information about God and what He asks of us. He does not expect us to make our beliefs up out of thin air.
Peter Perl: Okay...We are running out of time, so I am going to wrap this up shortly.
Peter Perl: Thank you all for participating. I feel that we just scratched the surface. I must add that I had a number of other questions that I chose not to answer because they were mean-spirited or because they attached hateful labels to people, and I don't think that was in the spirit of this particular discussion. Signing off, with best wishes to all, regardless of faith.
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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.
We know you have a choice in online travel forums, and speaking for the entire Flight Crew, we want to thank you for flying with us.
You may also browse an archive of previous live travel discussions.
Steve Hendrix: Last night at 1:30 a.m., after a three-week August working holiday, I turned a rusty key on a creaky door and walked into a dormant house. We'd had a conscientious house-sitter, so the rust and the creaks and the cobwebs were only metaphorical, but there was no escaping the sense of suspended animation that settles over a home abandoned by its occupants. All over Washington this week, Cape Cods and townhouses doze away the end of summer during long, hot and silent hours of ticking clocks, refridgetor hums and-the day's big moment-the brisk morning visit of the old neighbor lady adding another handful of mail to the pile on the entrance hall table.
At my house, the mausoleum silence lasted for about a 20 seconds. That's how long it took for my echoing footsteps to reach the dog, and convince her that they did indeed mark the end of her lonely confinement. (Again, we had a great dog-loving house sitter. But I'm not sure she was as willing as we are to let Ursa hog the blankets). After about 15 minutes of wiggling, all-is-forgiven-joy-which was more seizure that tail wagging-and some literal on-the-floor penitence by me, I was able to move around and re-introduce myself to my house. I eyed the inevitable pile of mail and three weeks worth of news; stood on the porch and did a normality check up and down the block and then I turned on every light in the house and with Ursa glued to my ankle I visited every room I own and simply enjoyed the experience of being back at headquarters.
Time to come home, folks. School is starting; that report won't wait much long. So here's our question What's the first thing YOU do when you get home from vacation?
Here today to talk about returns or any other travel concepts, are K.C. Summers, John Deiner, Andrea Sachs, Gary Lee, Anne McDonough and me, Steve Hendrix. Everyone else is away.
Washington, D.C. : Hi Crew,
I am traveling by train through Europe this fall and have a question about luggage. I was planning on taking one carry-on size and one oversized, but was not certain how safe my luggage would be in the "luggage" areas in each car. Should I invest in two carry-ons, or are there other measures I can take to minimze risk. Thanks!;
Anne McDonough: I vote for two carry-on sized suitcases (or, even better: backpacks). Even if they're perfectly safe, you still have to lug them around, and if you're training all thorugh Europe that's a lot of lugging. Better to bring two items that you can carry easily; I do that and also always bring an empty duffel stuffed into one bag for those just-have-to-have-it purchases that seem to pop up while traveling. You'll come home with more things than what you left with, so no need to burden yourself at the beginning with a lot of stuff.
Anonymous: My wife has tried to convince me to take a cruise on the Queen Mary from Rio to Valparaiso, Chile. One itinerary said it'd go around Cape Horn, and would be the largest ship to have done so, but even if it goes through the Straits of Magellan, I can't imagine it being a calm cruise (I get seasick). Wife says since it's a big boat and we'd have an inside, lower deck cabin, we'd be fine. I have my doubts (I remember the scenes of Cape Horn in "Mutiny on the Bounty").
John Deiner: Hey, Anon. I'm thinking you will have few, if any, problems aboard the QM2. The ship is so large that it can cut through just about any seas without too much rockin' and rollin', and displaces so much water that it takes massive waves to register with guests. Also, an inside, lower deck cabin is not the same thing as on other ships--the QM2's cabins actually are above most of the bars/restaurants/ballrooms, so they're not at sea level. You should definitely check with Cunard as well, but I think you'll be fine. My wife gets seasick in our car during a rainstorm, and she didn't have any probs on the QM2.
College Park, Md.: Here's something I've always wondered that you might be able to help with. (I've been doing way too much flying these days.) When flight attendants point out that your seat may be used as a flotation device, are they saying that just to make the passengers feel like there might be some hope of surviving a plane crash? Has anyone ever been able to use their seat cushions in this way? Sorry to be so morbid on a Monday morning....
Steve Hendrix: All the emergency proceedures are geared toward that specific margin of "incident" that falls somewhere between safe take-off and landing and total atomization into the side of a mountain. There are survivors, sometimes. Think about the Air Florida crash into the Potomac. Just the right time for a seat cushion flotation device, don't you think?
Sarajevo, BiH: I just wanted to recommend a hotel in Budapest. My husband and I were very impressed by the Hotel Erzebet. It had a great location - a 20-minute walk to Buda, 10 minutes to lots of shops and cafes. The room was small, but a pretty good deal for August at 110 Euros a night. The staff was friendly and spoke very good English. Plus, you can't beat watching Gilmore Girls in Magyar.
As for the more negative part of the trip, can I tell you how unimpressed I was by our guidebook? "Europe on a Shoestring" was confusing, did not list major monuments and museums, and had inadequate maps. On our last night, we watched two backpackers stand lost and confused on a streetcorner, trying to find their hostel. We got closer and saw they were holding..."Europe on a Shoestring." Heh.
KC Summers: Well thanks for tip -- that's kind of a short hop for you, no? Whatcha doing in Sarajevo?
And re that guidebook, I haven't really used them, being partial to Lonely Planet for backpacky-type advice. Anyone else out there have problems with the Shoestring series?
I just got back from eight days in Beijing. The smog was unbelievable. Is it always that bad in Beijing? I can't imagine why anyone would want to live there.
Anne McDonough: Believe it or not, it's improved dramatically in the past few years. I've been there about every other year since 1999 and the smog has improved, and post-SARS the spitting situation has changed dramatically. That having been said, it's not exactly the city of clear blue skies. But the city has so much to offer you kind of get over that after a while.
Not so tame Costa Rica: Really enjoyed Dana Priest's article, especially since I also had a chance to explore the Peruvian rainforest last year. However, in regard to Ms. Priest suggesting Costa Rica as a 'tame' destination, I want to point out that is far from the case. I was there two weeks ago and had adventures ranging from hiking and boating in the rainforest (where I actually saw more wildlife than I saw in Peru), hiking around lava fields during a small volcanic eruption while lava gurgled above us, and zipping along a cable more than 400 feet above the floor the Costa Rican cloud forest. Tame it ain't!;
KC Summers: Interesting comparison from someone who's done both countries -- thanks for your input. Cool about the gurgling lava!
Alexandria, Va.: I am a 30-something woman and am planning a 3 week trip to India in February. I was going to go with a girfriend, and she has since backed out. I still want to go. I do have friends there that would be with me on certain parts of the trip... Assam and Mumbai. But other parts of the trip... Rajasthan and a few other parts I will be on my own.
Will this be safe or should I reconsider? Any cities or states I should stay out of on my own?
By the way, I have been to India before... so... am somewhat familiar with basic customs. But I do not speak Hindi.
Anne McDonough: Go! Taking the same precautions as you would anywhere else, you'll be fine. And if you stay in hostels or in those small palaces-turned-hotels that are all over, and really prevalent in Rajasthan, you'll meet people to pal around with if you decide that solo isn't doing it for you.
Someone asked a question about Kiev a couple of weeks ago. Gary said he was there during Soviet times. Things have changed a bit since then. I think this is such a lovely, exciting, and inexpensive place and such a good choice for a vacation. I was wondering if I could give your chatter some advice.
First of all, go with an open mind. You're not in America anymore. There is nothing wrong with the way they do things, they just do it differently. It is a civilized country. Don't be in a hurry to get anywhere. It is not considered rude to be late. You'll be walking a lot.
If it's the first time you've been to Ukraine, it is easier not to get your visa directly from the embassy. This is one document you don't want any mistakes on. Try gotorussia.com You pay a little more but fairly hassle-free.
Here is a very useful site for information about Kiev. http://www.go2kiev.com/index.html
The official language is Ukrainian but Russian is spoken by everyone and most businesses use Russian. After failures with Berlitz, I found a great, easy-to- learn Russian survival language program at http://unforgettablelanguages.com/ It is easy learning the Cyrillic alphabet. http://www.friends-partners.org/newfriends/cyrillic/russian.alphabet.html You'd be amazed how many Russian words are similar to English words. So by just learning the alphabet helps out a lot.
Definitely don't miss Kreshatyk St. It deserves several trips but also go on weekends when they close the street to cars. At one end is Independence Square, a very important symbol to Ukrainians. Don't miss the Cave Monastery, Andrievsky Church (get your souvenirs on cobblestone street outside), Great Patriotic War (WWII) museum (beautiful park and gawdy Mother Russia statue). Always carry a Kiev map which can be found anywhere. Find where you are staying and mark it. Kievans are very friendly and seem to like giving directions. This is a good excuse to talk to people too.
Their money is called the Hrynia (pronounced grevna). Always keep small bills and kopeks handy. You could refuse to give beggars money but then they will not give up. Especially children who will grab onto your arm. It's easier to just give them a few kopeks and be gone. If your friend speaks Russian then let him/her negotiate with taxis. But give it a try. It's fun and if they don't agree on price, another one will be just behind it. Maybe 3 or 4 right behind it. No trouble getting taxis in Kiev. Don't bother traveling by bus, car, or trolley on weekdays between 4pm- 7pm. Take the Metro. Traffic is very bad and mostly stopped at these times. Also, the President fired all the traffic cops.
Don't be afraid to bribe officials. It's called corruption in the states but its called business there. If there are pregnant pauses while dealing with government or police, it is usually because they are waiting for your bribe.
Ukrainian cuisine is tasty. Definitely try the Shashlik. An appetizer that is served a lot is salo. It is deep fried pork fat as best I can tell. Decide for yourself whether you want to eat it or not. If you get homesick for American food go to Arizona Restaurant (yes, after the state) for the best BBQ ribs in the world. No joke. They have menus in English as many restaurants do. There are many American restaurants such as TGIFs and MacDonalds. Don't forget to eat at the McDs in Independence Square and tell the Flight Crew about it!
Gary Lee: I agree with you that Kiev is a lovely city that should be visited. You mention that it's changed quite a bit since the Soviet period and I am sure it has. The tips you mention here are useful but they would easily have applied to life there 20 years ago. What's changed?
22310: Hi guys!; I'll be in St. Maarten in October and I'd like to do a day trip to St. Barth's. What are my options on getting going from one island to the other? Pricing would definitely help me out on planning too. Thanks!;!;!;
Andrea Sachs: The coolest way (think sea spray) would be to take the high-speed Rapid Explorer ferry, which leaves daily and takes about 40 minutes one way. Info: www.st-barths.com/rapid-explorer/index.html. You can also fly there on a commercial carrier or a commuter flight; air time is about 10 minutes one way. For schedules, try Winair, Air Caraibes or St-Barth Commuter.
Arlington, Va.: Hi Travel folks,
Reading last week's transcript, someone had a question about the Garifuna culture in Belize and whether Belize City or Dangriga were best for that.
I have to recommend Dangriga since that's essentially the "capitol" of the Garifuna people. I spent some time there last December and came across a gentleman named Francis Swaso, who handmade various types of Garifuna instruments. He could probably point out good locations for music and other happenings in the area. His shop is on the main street in town, and since he's also an engineer, just look for the shop with a big drafting table in the middle of it.
I hope they enjoy Belize, I'm looking forward to going back myself!
KC Summers: Thanks, Arl, for the followup. Hope the Belize poster is reading...
gnomeland, NW: Shame on you guys in bringing up traveling gnome story and not mentioning beautiful rendition of the theme in recent French movie "Amelie".
Also, looking in your crystall ball, what it tells you about ability of Northwest to fly to Alberta next week ?
John Deiner: Oh, that darned gnome. He does get around, doesn't he? That story was definitely around before "Amelie," but your point is well taken.
As far as Northwest/Alberta, your guess is as good as our's, NW. As long as it can keep the planes in good running order, the airline says it will be able to maintain its schedule. We suggest you do what we're doing, and keep an eye on media reports. We're going to have to wait till our crystal ball comes back from the shop (time for its yearly buffing) before we'll know for sure.
Hyattsville, Md.: Northwest claims that the mechanics strike isn't causing delays. However, my husband was stuck in the Detroit airport for 13 hours on Friday, right before the strike, with no apology or meal coupon. He is flying back to BWI tonight from Madison, WI via Detroit. Any tips for getting better service if one of his flights gets canceled again, or is it futile when dealing with an airline headed for bankruptcy?
Steve Hendrix: Chances are your husband's delay wasn't directly strike related, since it hadn't started yet and mechanical delays will take at least some time to accumulate. His is a more general complaint of crappy service.
Really, I'm not just sucking up...: But the first thing I do when returning from vacation (after petting my no-longer-lonely cat) is read the Washington Post!; I always restart delivery for the day I get back.
I suppose it also alerts my cat-sitter to my imminent return.
Steve Hendrix: Glad we can help. (I do that too).
Washington, DC: Hi there, wondering if you have any expertise on what type of frequent flier credit cards. Have you done a story on this that I've missed?
So there are some with annual fees that give you a mile per dollar for a specific airline that you use in accordance to airline policies.
Now there are new ones--I got an offer from Capital One, who does it differently--basically you get a "point" per dollar spent, and when you want to fly somewhere you take the advertised cost of the flight, multiply it by 90, and thats how many points it costs. But it's free--no annual cost.
I can't figure out which is the better deal!; Obviously it would matter how much I charge, how much I travel, etc., but do you have any initial thoughts or guidelines?
KC Summers: Our own Carol Sottili did a piece on this but it's been a few years and would need to be updated. So thanks for the nudge -- we'll add it to our to-do list. In the meantime, anyone have any frequent-flier credit card advice or tips for Wash?
Washington, DC: I will be traveling to Europe for the first time in a few weeks stopping in London, Zurich and Venice. Can you recommend sights or restaurants I shouldn't miss? Also, any tips for a solo, female traveler in her mid-20s?
Gary Lee: I was in Zurich a couple of montbs back and can recommend Kaufleuten (a hip bar and restaurant) and Blindekuh (a restaurant where guests eat in the dark and are served by blind waitstaff).
Also, if you love art, check out the Chagall windows in the Fraumunster church.
Can anyone offer tips for London or Zurich?
Arlington, Va.: The first thing I always do when I come home from vacation is throw all my luggage right next to the front door, where it sits....for a week or more. I HATE unpacking--I think that's the absolute worst part of vacation. It's so final. This summer my suitcases at least made it into my bedroom where they wouldn't annoy my roommate...but they're still unpacked two weeks later.
Truthfully, though, I am getting a little tired of stepping over them. Maybe I'll unpack tonight. Doesn't help that I've run out of my favorite clothes, since I took them all with me.
Steve Hendrix: Some frequent travelers will silently nod when they read this--I'm such a lame unpacker and sometimes the next trip comes so quickly, that sometimes I end up just zipping up the never-unpacked bag and heading off again. (And my dop kit NEVER leaves the bag. JUst lives there).
New York, NY: After quickly unpackinging, I and my mate go to the local pub and try to extend the vacation until night falls. Always a great way to relax and reminisce, and avoid immediate re-entry to the working world.
Steve Hendrix: Good one! (Doesn't work as well when you get home in the wee hours, for me at least).
Washington, DC: Please help!; I am going to California in a week with a friend, and we will be renting a car to drive up the coastal highway. Our problem: we are both 23, and subject to those $25/day surcharges (inflicted on each of us per day). My question: Do you know of any car rental agency that does not charge the under-25 fee in California? Thanks!;!;
Anne McDonough: I was about to tout the new changes in Budget and Avis policies and then realized that while 21 to 24 year olds can now rent with them, they still have to pay that annoying surcharge. Does anyone out there know of a Calif. rental agency that will let these two have a surchargeless vacation? The only other thing I can think of is just signing up one of you to drive and letting the other one play navigator for the whole trip. That'll save at least $175.
Washington, DC: I got back from a month long trip in Vietnam. My first meal back in the U.S. consisted of two hot dogs. After reaching my home destination, I succumbed to jet lag and my inner recluse, and housed myself in isolation for about two weeks.
Steve Hendrix: I think the first meal back is a whole sub-genre, especially after an exotic international trip (are there such things anymore?). Some people delight in the first home cooked meal. Me, I dream of Honey Bunches of Oats.
Rockville, Md.: I'm just back from a trip through the Southwest, staying in lots of mid-level chain motels (Best Western, LaQuinta, Comfort Inn). EVERYBODY advertises that they have in-room WiFi high-speed internet. I've got an 802.11g card that works perfectly at home; it worked in less than half the motels. A few places had computers that were cable-wired in their lobbies; one of them actually worked!
Steve Hendrix: Hmmmm. I can't say I have the same problem, Rockville. Most hotels have delivered the WiFi as promised.
does anyone else suffer this?
Washington, DC: My girlfriend and I recently traveled to Montreal. We experienced a momentary scare when checking in at a United kiosk at Dulles airport: the machine required our passport information in order to check us in; only I have a valid passport. At first, we thought the rules had changed and we both needed a passport to enter Canada. We later found out the birth certificate and driver's license she had that day sufficed, but that in fact the rules would be changing soon. Any word on when this is to happen?
KC Summers: No, but it IS coming... The final deadline is Jan. 1, 2008, but they're phasing this in slowly (other places similarly affected will be the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama and Mexico) and the specific dates for each country haven't been announced. From the U.S. State Dept. Web site: "The Administration is proposing a timeline for implementation which will be published in the Federal Register in the near future."
Bottom line: Get your passports now, folks, they're just good to have on hand!
Cruise Help: My sister and i want a vacation in early november in a warm place and we thought a cruise would be good. We can fly out of PHL or EWR and found that we can get a 5 day cruise including tax and air fare in our time constraint with either Celebrity or Carnival for just about $550pp which is fine for the budget. They both leave from Miami and hit the same ports. WE are 23 and 28 (no boyfriends, no kids) so children and seniors (no offense) are not our crowd. We are first timer and don't know which to choose. Any other cruise tips?
John Deiner: Hey CH. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and suggest that you may hit more kids on the Carnival cruise, more mature adults on the Celebrity cruise. So, choose your poison. Actually, singles seem to dig the Carnival offerings...they really are more raucous than your average cruise. Keep an open mind and you'll have a world of fun.
As far as tips, pack wisely. Not a whole lot of space in either of those lines' cabins. Remember that excursions and alcohol are a la carte, as are tips, so you'll be spending more than you think for the cruise itself. (Do many of you guys carry aboard your own booze, by the way?) Give yourself plenty of time to get down there, because your ship isn't going to wait around for you to arrive if your flight is delayed. Bring some Dramamine or some other sort of seasickness medication if you fear you may suffer from it.
France but not Paris!;: So I've been to Paris twice (LOVE it!;), but now I'm looking for a different French experience. I've also stayed in Beaune, which is in Burgundy, and LOVED it - the walled city, the architecture, the emphasis on wine, etc.
Where else in France would you recommend that's somewhat off the beaten path (not that Beaune is off the beaten path - but it's not a BIG city and it's certainly not Paris)? We'd like to stay for two weeks, and we'll NOT be staying in hotels, if that makes a difference.
We like towns/villages probably more than big, bustling cities or completely rustic wilderness.
Gary Lee: You might check out Mont St. Michel or St. Malo, both interesting cities in Brittany with lost of culture, excellent food and wine. A couple of other options would be Bergerac or Sarlat in the Southwest. In either place you can eat and drink like royalty for a fraction of what you'd spend in Paris.
Any one have tips on France off the beaten trek?
I really enjoy the chats. I've been submitting for a few weeks now and we are leaving on Saturday - so this is my last chance.
Husband and I are going to St. Thomas for our 10 year anniversary. Staying at the Wyndham. Anything we should not miss? We only have 5 days. He definitely wants to go snorkling. I wouldn't mind some really nice meals.
Andrea Sachs: Since we have not been to St. Thomas in awhile, we don't want to steer you in the wrong direction (and definitely not for the big One-Oh!). So, we are going to ask anyone out there in Webland who might have suggestions. . . . (Though we can say: Go to Honeymoon Beach--what could be more appropriate.)
Zurich suggestions: I was there in 2002, and recommend buying one or two chocolates at the many chocolatiers on the long pedestrian shopping street. Also, the boat tour of the river and lake was relaxing and fun.
Gary Lee: Both are good ideas. The boat trip is most fun in climate weather.
Washington, DC: Speaking of traveling gnomes, my husband and I have had no luck with Travelocity's new so-called guarantee. He called them from the hotel front desk when he didn't get the room he reserved online, and they basically said, Oh well, and told him to send in a written complaint. He did and since then, we've gotten two form replies saying they would assign someone to the problem. Doesn't seem to be a guarantee of anything!;
John Deiner: Blame the gnome! I just don't trust those beady-eyed little things. So no luck with Travelocity guarantee? Anyone else out there having problems along those lines?
Ellenton, Fla.: First thing the hubby and I do now when we get home from a vacation is to check the house for any damage our cat may have done. Why? Because 4 years ago, after a 5-day trip to Vegas, we returned home to find that our cat had used our 2-month-old luxury pillow-top mattress as a litterbox to protest our being gone (like you, we had a good pet-loving housesitter, but he couldn't stay overnight).
Steve Hendrix: That's abandonned pet revenge, the little critter's way of retaliating for you're daring to leave him. Happens all the time. I had a cat once that was so mad at our being away for two weeks that he....well, let's just say that a new duvet was called for and my wife will never leave her sweater drawer open again.
Dry Dock on the Travel Channel: I caught this on one of the Discovery Channels (may have been TLC) -- great program!; The ins and outs of a cruise ship!;
It started the 19th, but there are still a couple of shows, plus the reveal.
John Deiner: That IS a good show, isn't it? Amazing how they can turn an old bucket of bolts into a, er, remodeled old bucket of bolts.
Norrthwest Airlines: I flew NWA out of Minneapolis on the first day of the strike. We experienced only a 15-minute delay - apparently there was something wrong with the armrests on a few chairs (hmmm...). As someone who flies NWA frequently, I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place. I understand that NWA needs to cut expenses if they don't want to file for bankruptcy. But I feel as if the mechanics are getting one hell of a bum deal.
John Deiner: Thanks for your two cents, and the road report. These days, a 15-minute delay is considered "ahead of schedule" it seems. (Armrest problems? Hmmmm, indeed.)
Washington, DC: I recently missed a flight out of Dulles because of long security lines. I was NOT a happy camper. I have several questions/comments on that experience.
1. This is the most aggravating. They know exactly how many flight are leaving at a particular time, and how many people are scheduled to take those flights. Why don't they have more staff available and more screening locations open?
2. Call for people who have a short time until their plane boards, or is scheduled to take off to come to the front of the line, like the airlines usually do when people are checking in and there is a long backup? I know that there are some people who will go forward even if their flight isn't scheduled for quite a while anyways, but be tough and send them back to the end of the line when they get to the screeners--do that once or twice to somebody, and they won't try to jump ahead again.
3. While I was waiting in this endless line, my boarding pass and ID was checked at least 4 times (maybe it was five)and then again as I went through the metal detector. This was in addition to the airline looking at my ID when I checked my bag. What are they wasting their time looking for? Do they think that somehow in the course of standing in line I'm going to magically change from a terrorist into a blue-eyed, blond, middle-aged woman, or a mom traveling alone with a toddler and infant?
4. All this time, the screening area for employees and handicapped people was virtually empty. Why not just open that line up with priority given to employees and handicaps who can just enter at the front of the line without a wait?
5. I this some kind of plot by TSA devised to punish the rest of us for not getting to the airport even earlier? "You bad people!; Next time you'll learn and come even earlier for your flight, so you can wait in line even longer and can spend more time in line seeing how hard we're working to keep you safe from mommies with baby buggies!;"
6. To cause mayhem, a person or persons determined to carry out a suicide mission doesn't need to board a plane. The U.S. Govt. is providing them with hundreds of sitting ducks. All they need to do is walk into the terminal at Dulles or O'Hare or any other really busy airport and set off their bomb or start mowing down the mobs of people that have been conveniently corraled for them courtesy of Uncle Sam.
Thanks for listening to my rant. I just wish someone who has the autority to do something about this riduculous system we have in place now would listen, too.
Steve Hendrix: I agree that we're deep in the silly season of airport security. But at least they look busy.
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.: Are the Bahamas too cold in mid-January? I've heard totally contradictory things about it, so I'm hoping someone can give me a clear answer (needs to be warm enough to lie out in bathing suit).
Basically, my husband and I are trying to plan a trip to somewhere warm over the long MLK holiday weekend (3 or 4 nights), but I'm having a seriously hard time finding somewhere that is only a quick, presumably direct flight away (a requirement if 3 or 4 nights is going to be worth it). From DC, the only regularly scheduled direct flights seem to be to the Bahamas (weather concerns), Cancun (went last year), Puerto Rico (went the year before that), and Jamaica (didn't love the harassment the last time I was there).
Are there any other destinations with direct flights that anyone is aware of? (And yes, I've looked at your nonstop to the sun chart, but a lot of those flights leave only on specific days and therefore don't work for us). Or even places where connecting flights are short/close enough that we don't have to spend the entire day traveling? The Turks and Caicos seems to fit the latter requirement, but tickets are running about $800 apiece. Help!
Gary Lee: I was in the Bahamas last January. I liked it well enough and it was sunny and warm during the day. But the water was too cold to swim in and nights were a little brisk. For what you'ree interested in, I'd take a close look at Turks, Aruba (which is a lovely place in spite of the bad press it's been getting) or perhaps Vieques, the small island off the coast of Puerto Rico. The flight there is only 20 minutes or so from Vieques.
You say that Beijing has "so much to offer." I guess I missed it all. I waited in line for one hour to see Mao's mausoleum, which was a total waste. The silk market was mildly interesting. The transportation system is terrible. Is there anything to see besides old buildings (the Forbidden City) and dead people?
Anne McDonough: Someone sounds a little...jetlagged. In five trips to Beijing, I've never bothered to go to Mao's masoleum; who wants to wait on long lines to see a dead waxy figure? How about this instead: biking around the hutongs, Badachu, heading to any one of the major parks in the city early in the morning to see locals exercising, dancing, playing mahjongg (check out the recent feature we ran on just exactly that). How about checking out the free expat weekly for info on music, clubs, theater? How about buying a kite and hanging out in Tiananmen or another public space with families?
White Bear Lake, MN: Re: France but not Paris:
The Alsace area is lovely -- day trips to Strasbourg and Colmar are easy if you base yourself in a smaller town such as Turckheim. Very picturesque area. Also, consider Ainhoa in the Basque region of France. Easy to visit small and interesting towns and the food and culture are a change of pace from what one usually expects in France. Finally, try the area surrounding Lyon...nice wine country and small towns. Bon voyage!!
Gary Lee: Much thanks for the good tips. In particular I think Alsace is worth a close look.
Using frequent flyer miles: Hi folks. I'm flying on Northwest Airlines tomorrow (cross fingers) to Hawaii for my wedding and honeymoon. I'm a Silver Elite member, which means that I got upgraded to first class on the first two legs of my trip (DCA-Detroit, Detroit to SFO). However, because I am in the lowest elite tier, I wasn't upgraded to first on the longest leg (SFO to Honolulu).
It would cost me 17,000 miles to upgrade on that last leg (I have 60,000 frequent flyer miles). The question is: Is it worth it to spend those miles?
I normally wouldn't think so, but this is the one time I'd like to treat myself.
John Deiner: No question about it: UPGRADE. Not only do you deserve it (hey, it's a big event), but mile gurus will tell you that you are getting more for your miles by upgrading to first class -- which can cost thousands and thousands -- rather than spending them on an economy airline ticket that you can probably buy for less.
Colesville, Md.: Hi. I need your advice on who to turn to about what I think is unethical behavior by Delta. My sons, 15 and 12, traveled to NYC yesterday on the Shuttle. Twice last week, I called Delta and was told twice that the "unaccompanied minor" charge is inapplicable to the Shuttle (as was the case the last four years). When I got to National, I was told that I had to pay $50 because my younger son is 12. I said that he's not "unaccompanied" as he's with his brother. They said the 15 y.o. is under 18 so it's like the 12 y.o. is unaccompanied and therefore, I had to pay $50. I said that I was told twice by Delta employees that the charge doesn't apply to the Shuttle. The ticket agent said it does as of this year. I said that you shouldn't charge me for something that I was told doesn't apply and she said that if I wanted the 12 y.o. to go to NY, I would have to pay. When I got home, I called "customer service" and was told that while she was sorry I got bad information, the charge was correct so they wouldn't do anything. This means an extra $100 out of my pocket--perhaps I would have drove them to NY or put them on Amtrak instead if I knew about this charge (which isn't on the Shuttle's website). I'm steamed! Besides writing to Delta, what can I do? Thanks.
Steve Hendrix: Well, it's terrible that you got bad information so consistently. I don't know what else you could have done to get a straight price. On the other hand, it's a fair charge (you are asking the airlines to take responsibility for your kids, after all) and one that you obviously anticipated in some way. You're right to complain about the botched info, but I don't think Delta owes you more than an apology.
for new cruisers...: Regarding packing, check out the airline's limit, too. Pack interchangeable outfits, comfortable shoes (one pair of dress shoes is enough), save your tip money in a separate env. so that you don't spend it (there are safes in the room that you program)...I've been on a Princess and Celebrity Cruise and the crowds have been mixed.
John Deiner: Good points. Some cruises are starting to just add a tip fee to your daily tab as well--I like it myself. Certainly beats fumbling for dollar bills and other change on the cruise's last nite so you can tip the sommelier.
Alexandria, Va.: Hi, Travel Crew. I was unable to contribute to the 8 August chat about relaxing vacations spots because I was there. The Brittish Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Sark, and Herm) are great places to get away from it all. There are beautiful beaches and cliff walks, friendly folks, and enough to do, but not so much to do that you forget to relax. The Island wide speed limit of 30 mph just about sums it up. Best of all: English beer with French food. Much better than the other way around!
KC Summers: Mmm... sounds nice. The recent Elizabeth George book "A Place of Hiding" is set on Guernsey and it really made me want to go there. The plot, not so much. Is it just me, or has Elizabeth George lost her touch? Oops, what do you mean this isn't the books chat?
Re:Alexdria, VA: India trip: As an Indian 29 year female, born and raised in Mumbai, who now works and lives in DC- I would encourage you to go absolutely go to Rajasthan. It sounds like you are touring the Northern part of India and skipping Rajasthan in Feb . would be an absolute shame. The weather is just fantastic and so is of course the food. And if you can do Assam on your own, Rajasthan would be a breeze. I would highly recommend going to Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Udaipur and Jaipur. Jaisalmer is just lovely. Make sure you at least spend a night or two in the Thar desert- where the locals sing and dance, and the kebabs cooked on a charcoal fire are the best thing to have crossed your lips.
Anne McDonough: Thanks, Alex! I totally agree with Udaipur and Jaipur-and if she goes to Jaipur, don't miss seeing a Bollyhood film at the famous purple theater there-I went on my own, ended up sitting next to an Aussie woman working at a clinic in town who was also seeing her first, and had a spectacular time-if you can get Kal Ho Na Ho on video, go for it. Hotel Madhuban (it's in Lonely Planet) was an adorable little haveli in Jaipur with the friendliest hosts and a unusual (for India, at least where I went) tipping policy where you don't tip people individually, instead putting a tip in a box that gets divided equally among the staff.
Rental Cars in Calif.: The two twenty-somethings might want to try Flexcar or Zipcar in some selected cities--it's more expensive, but you only have to be 21 yo (and gas is included!;) Also, Rentawreck, which is more reputable than it sounds, may have better deals for younger drivers.
BWI: Hi Travel Gurus!; I'm sitting at BWI, waiting for a business trip flight, dreaming about my upcoming vacation!; It will include a few days in Hong Kong...what are the must sees? Have you had clothes tailor-made, I hear it's the thing to do!; Any guidance on anything HK related would be great!;!;
Steve Hendrix: If you haven't boarded yet, BWI, my advice is definitely to get a suit made. Just walk around Kowloon and you'll be hawked by the tailors, who can do wonders in 24 hours. I wrote about having a suit and shirts made by Sam-the-Tailor during a three-day trip to Hong Kong several years ago. It's still my best coat, and I ordered shirts from Sam a number of times since then. We'll try to find a link.
Re security lines: Here's one area where flying one airline to become one of their frequent-flyer elite members actually helps: You get to go through a separate line when going through security - and the line is much much shorter or even non-existent. It save me last week, when I was running late to catch a flight ....
Russia: Hi- Traveling to Russia (moscow and St. Petersburg) in September w 2 friends. Anyone out there have any advice, must sees, must avoids, things you wish you had known before you went, etc? I know this is general but have done some research and still curious about others experiences.
Gary Lee: I strongly advise you to spend time in the Russian Museum in St. Pete; it has some of the best Russian art in the world but is often dwarfed by the Hermitage. Also, take a tour of the palaces surrounding the city. In Moscow, try to spend some time in the small churches inside the Kremlin grounds and in Novy Devochki cemetary. I think you'll be intrigued to see how the Russian bury their dead. Finally, if you have a chance for a day trip out of Moscow, go to Zagorsk....
Seattle, Wash.: To the poster asking about "Beyond Paris, France off the Beaten Path"
I would recommend going to the following places.
1. The city of Lyon is a wonderful city, the gateway to the South, and also renowned for its fine cuisine. 2. Annecy in Haute Savoie is also a fine food town and has a gorgeous old town. 3. Marseille is wonderfully exotic and also rivals Paris and Lyon for its fine restaurants. 4. La Rochelle on the Atlantic Coast is really lovely, and a short distance from Bordeaux and wine country. 5. The city of Pau is a lovely town on a hill in the Pyrenees.
I could go on and on -- there's so much to see, eat and drink in this great country!
Gary Lee: These are good suggestions. I think La Rochelle in particular is way underrated and has that off the beaten trek feel to it...
Normal, Ill.: Quoted by the poster offering advice on travelling in Kiev:
"Don't be afraid to bribe officials. It's called corruption in the states but its called business there. If there are pregnant pauses while dealing with government or police, it is usually because they are waiting for your bribe."
Based in my experience living in Russia and travelling in Ukraine and similar countries, I would agree with this but add the following caution: Even in a country as famous for bribery as Ukraine it may not be as straightforward as you've heard. You may get 'unlucky' and be dealing with an honest cop, who's still trying to hassle you. You may be dealing with a policeman wanting a bribe but unwilling to take it in the open (they may lead you somewhere where it can be done discretely, such as in their car). Finally, remember that offering a bribe is a very serious offence even in countries where its rampant. Use a code pharse such as 'How much is the fine?'
Gary Lee: Good thinking, thanks!
Deep Valley, USA: Tip for the 20-something in London:
check out Wagamama, a chain noodle restaurant that is hip AND tasty and relatively (this is London) cheap. They seat you in long rows at tables, so it is easy to meet people.
There's on right near Leicester square, and others in slightly less touristy locations.
Gary Lee: Thanks. Wagamama has become a veritable London institution.
Rye brook, NY: I will be going to Orlando for company training in Early October, and will spend spend an extra few days there. Besides the theme parks, which I always enjoy, What can a single person do on a weekend?
John Deiner: Hey, NY. We just ran a piece a few weeks ago on Thornton Park, which seems to be a pretty hip little neck of downtown Orlando. There's also Winter Park, a nice little town just north of Orlando. CityWalk is definitely fun; it's nestled among the Universal theme parks but I love it. (Not a fan at all of Downtown Disney, though you may enjoy the Pleasure Island club area.)
Logan Circle, Washington, D.C.: A weather-related question I hope you can help me with: my husband and I are thinking of going to Yellowstone in late September or very early October, on a naturalist-guided trip to see wildlife. I know the crowds will be gone, but what will the weather be like? (we're skiers, so we don't mind cold, but I'm not interested in going if it will be raining all the time.)
Steve Hendrix: I haven't been to Yellowstone in autum, LCWDC, but I have been there in deepest February. It was a wonderfull time to be there, even with the hard cold and the extra challenges of getting around. You can be sure that Yellowstone without the crowds is fabulous ANY time of year. Go. You may be too early for the heavy snow, but early fall will make you happy.
washingtonpost.com: Orlando's Thornton Park , (May 6, 2005)
John Deiner: And here's the link to that Orlando story.
Washington D.C. (France off the beaten...): I second the recommendation for Brittany. I did a one week biking tour of Brittany last summer through Discover France, and ate fabulously every night (Brittany is famous for its cider and seafood), stayed at decent hotels, and got to bike through lots of small towns in Brittany, as well as tour Mont St. Michel (amazing!;) and St. Malo.
TSA Experience...need to vent: A few weeks ago I flew from BWI to Boston, and was "randomly selected" for a more thorough screening by the TSA. I have no issue with being asked to remove my shoes, nor with having the electric wand detector used. But the extent to which I was asked to comply with search I felt was excessive. The screener asked me to open my belt as I had a metal belt buckle (of normal size). After the metal detector found that the zipper on my shorts was metal, the screener then asked me to roll the top of my shorts down, and proceed to pat my stomach and zipper (groin) with the back of his hand. I was visibly disturbed by the level of intrusiveness required for such a random search. Here are my questions: is a metal zipper on pants such a rare thing? Why the need for skin contact when patting me down? And anyway, how many contraband items have they found and potential threatening people stopped through the "random" searches at the security checkpoints? I'd rather go through one of the new walk-through x-ray machines than be subject to a criminal pat down again.
Steve Hendrix: The best I can suggest, if this happens to you again, that request a same-sex screener and that it be done in private. Both are requests the Feds say they will honor.
Returning home, CO: As someone who frequently travels to Italy (and then stays there for long periods of time), I embrace my American-style bathroom when I come home. While I love Italy, showering in a 2 foot by 2 foot space enclosed by flimsy plastic, or worse, showering in the whole bathroom becomes trying after a time. I adore my shower curtain, and my western-style toilet. I even enjoy using the restroom at baggage claim while waiting for my luggage in the U.S. I celebrate our somewhat clean and no need to have superthighs American public restrooms!;!;
Steve Hendrix: Here's to embracing the bathroom. (I used to do that in college sometimes).
Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.: Good afternoon Flight Crew, thanks for answering all the questions. I really enjoyed the ariticle in the travel section last month about the medieval wine village in Burgundy, France. My girlfriend and I are making our frist trip to Spain this Friday and are looking for a Spanish equivalent. We've rented a car and are going the southern route after two nights in Madrid. We're looking for a good place to sample some wine, stay overnight and maybe rent bikes for a ride through the vines. Any recommendations? Thanks for the help.
Andrea Sachs: Some of the main wine regions are Rioja (the biggest and most suited for tourists); Penedes, near Barcelona; Jerez, for sherry; etc. For variety and greatest number of wineries, you might want to explore Rioja; its tourism office's Web site (www.larioja.org) lists all things vino: wineries, wine museums, wine architecture, wine hotels, even vineyard sports (horseback riding, hot air ballooning, etc.).
Washington, DC: I just got back yesterday from Portland, Oregon, and the first thing I did when I got home was play with my dog and give my parents a nice present for dogsitting: a gift box from Moonstruck Chocolates, a nice bottle of wine made in Oregon, and some quirky art from Portland's Saturday Market. My dog got a present too: a handmade dog toy from the Saturday Market (largest open air arts & crafts market in the US!;).
I leave tomorrow on Northwest Airlines, and I'm worried about the strike. Am I going to get stuck in Minneapolis?
Steve Hendrix: I LOVE handing out the presents! My kids love it, too. (But I like it even better when we've all been gone together. No presents, but better trip).
Are you going to be hit by the strike in Minneapolis? No. Or, possibly, yes.
Fairfax, Va.: For the St. Thomas traveler, I got married at the Wyndham which was great (although pre-Spa, boo). One great experience was a sunset cruise on the sailboat True Love. This is very different from the big catamaran booze cruises. It is very refined, delicious finger foods and beautiful sailing.
Andrea Sachs: Sounds lovely, and fitting with the occasion. Thanks!
Minors on Delta Flight: The website says there will be a charge for minors on shuttle flights who are not accompanied by someone who is over 18.
Steve Hendrix: Let me guess...it didn't take you long to find that.
Alexandria, Va.: First thing back from vacation? Get on line and plan the next one! We were affected by the British Airways strike August 11th (on our way back from the Channel Islands). When we got home we had an email that they were adding 150,000 miles to our Executive Club accounts (Hubbie is Gold, I am Silver). Those miles are burning a hole in my passsport wallet. And yes, KC, Elizabeth George has lost it. I care whodunnit it, not whether Deborah can ever conceive or Barbara will ever get it on with her neighbor.
KC Summers: Actually I can tolerate Barbara, it's that whiny Deborah who drives me nuts! Anyway, I'm with you on the planning-your-next-trip thing, and cool about the miles. Glad you got something out of that BA ordeal (I'm assuming it was an ordeal).
Hotel Recommendation: The poster for the Hungarian hotel jarred me into recommending one I stayed at in Istanbul earlier this summer: the Hotel Empress Zoe. This is a gorgeous little hotel within walking distance of the major sites and renovated in sort of a post-modern classic Turkish/Byzantine style. The service was wonderful and the price rather moderate for a lovely garden suite (could sleep 4 easily).
KC Summers: Another good hotel tip -- thanks.
Alexandria, Va.: I just wanted to submit this, unsolicited by the inn, praise. It might be off topic for today, but lots of folks are always asking about weekend escapes or close BnBs so here goes. We just spent two LOVELY nights at Once Upon a Mountain BnB in Luray. The location is spectacular, but the innkeeper is the best part. Her name is Christa and she is a gem. She has the balance between visiting with guests and giving them privacy perfectly, her breakfast was marvelous (quiche, salad, yogurt/fruit), and the rooms are just gorgeous. Not at all too kitchy or B&B'y, but just a place you'd actually like to live. She also has a big hot tub outside overlooking the mountains. It is a very close drive to Skyline Drive and numerous horse-riding and hiking trails as well as tubing and canoing. Anyway, I just had to give her props because she is a single (recent) widow and this is her living. But this is not charity--the place is sooooo worth visiting (a tray of coffee and tea outside your door when you wake, chocolates on your pillow...). One caveat, she has two adorable mutts, so if you do not like friendly dogs, you might want to pass. Here is the site: www.onceuponamountain.com
KC Summers: Adorable mutts is a plus in our book. Thanks for the tip, Alex, it sounds like a great place.
Coming Home: First thing I do when I return from a vacation is mourn the fact that I'm back, it's over, and I have to return to the reality of work in a day or two!; Then I walk through my apartment and turn on all the lights, and make sure that there are no broken windows, kicked down doors, or missing electronics.
Steve Hendrix: I always enjoy rounding the corner of my block and seeing my house not billowing smoke.
Steve Hendrix: Well, that's it for this week folks. Enjoy your re-entry (or your remaining holidays, those of you still out in vacation land). Thanks for all the questions, the answers and the neat reflections coming 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.
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Washington Post Travel editors and writers take your questions and comments every Monday at 2 p.m. ET.
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Settlers, Soldiers Clash in Synagogues
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KFAR DAROM, Gaza Strip, Aug. 18 -- More than 1,000 Israelis made a defiant stand Thursday in the synagogues of two Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, confronting their own soldiers with rudimentary arsenals of household items in a final attempt to prevent their evacuation from land they believe was promised to them by God.
The standoffs came as Israeli soldiers moved swiftly to clear communities that have been most opposed to the Gaza evacuation. After a day of emotional encounters around kitchen tables and in places of worship, Israeli officials said 17 of Gaza's 21 settlements had been emptied, with agreements in place to evacuate two others.
In perhaps the most dramatic moment of the highly unusual military operation to end Israel's nearly four-decade presence in the coastal strip, Israeli troops stormed the synagogue in Kfar Darom over the course of a sweltering afternoon.
Using water cannons and cranes, Israeli forces broke through barricades of tables lashed together with rope, coils of razor wire and a hail of rocks, paint-filled light bulbs and what military officials said was acid thrown by scores of settlers holding out on the roof. Dozens of commandos, climbing ladders and being lowered onto the roof inside shipping containers, took more than three hours to clear the building.
"This was the most difficult place, no question about that," said Gideon Meir, a senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official who was splattered with paint as he watched the scene. "But in the end it went faster than anyone imagined."
The fight for the synagogue was a riveting, emotional coda to the Gaza evacuation, if not the actual end of the mission that has involved more than 50,000 Israeli soldiers. Israeli military officials said about 200 families remain inside the strip, defying government eviction orders, but that figure does not include people who have arrived in recent weeks to strengthen the resistance.
Army officials said the operation will pause Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, and conclude early next week. The Israeli military will then begin demolishing more than 2,000 homes and public buildings in the territory, where 8,500 Jewish settlers have lived among 1.3 million Palestinians in the years since Israel seized the land in the 1967 Middle East war.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, once one of the main supporters of settlement construction and expansion, has pushed the withdrawal plan at great political expense. He has said he believes that quitting Gaza would leave Israel with more defensible borders and a stronger Jewish majority, which is now threatened by the fast-growing Arab population in the territories. The plan also calls for the evacuation of four settlements in the West Bank, which the Palestinians envision as part of a future state along with Gaza.
But Sharon's strategy has embittered Israel's religious-nationalist movement, once a key part of his electoral constituency, and the confrontations in the synagogues Thursday further inflamed the relationship.
In Neve Dekalim, a settlement roughly five miles to the south, two columns of soldiers locked arms to create a path through the jostling crowd into the Great Ashkenazi Synagogue. More than 1,000 residents and recent arrivals from the West Bank had sought refuge in the stolid building as soldiers nearly completed house-to-house evacuations.
Just after 3:30 p.m., a group of teenagers poured motor oil and water over the long ramp leading up to the doors of the synagogue. A gray-bearded man emerged a few moments later carrying an Israeli flag, which he set on fire.
"Heil, Hitler!" he yelled, drawing scattered howls from the hundreds of onlookers gathered for the final showdown in Gaza's largest settlement.
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Israeli officials say 17 of Gaza's 21 settlements had been emptied entirely with agreements in place to evacuate two others.
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Israeli Withdrawal From Gaza Explained
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A brief explanation of Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip:
What is the Gaza Strip?
Gaza is a small strip of land, approximately 25 miles long and six miles wide, on the Mediterranean coast of Israel. For the past 38 years, it has been controlled by Israel. It is home to more than 8,500 Jewish settlers and approximately 1.3 million Palestinians.
Why is Israel withdrawing from Gaza?
In announcing the "Disengagement Plan" in December 2003, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the withdrawal was to increase security of residents of Israel, relieve pressure on the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and reduce friction between Israelis and Palestinians. Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, claims that the withdrawal is the result of violent Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation.
What is the withdrawal plan?
Starting Aug. 15, tens of thousands of Israeli troops will oversee the evacuation of the settlers from 21 different communities in Gaza and four smaller settlements in the West Bank. They will assist settlers with moving their belongings as well. Some Palestinian security forces will also participate. On Aug. 17, settlers who have not voluntarily left will be forcibly removed and may lose personal property, according to IDF commanders. Israeli soldiers will then demolish settlers' homes.
Many, but not all, Jewish residents of Gaza believe that the land is part of what they call "Eretz Yisrael" -- Greater Israel -- and thus biblically ordained for Jews. Other Israelis believe that withdrawal will not make Israel more secure from Palestinian attack. Some settlers, backed by supporters from outside Gaza, say they will not leave voluntarily on Aug. 15, raising the prospect of violent clashes between the IDF and Israeli citizens. The withdrawal marks the first time since Israel's withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982 that it has relinquished Jewish settlements to Arab control.
Public opinion polls show that around 60 percent of Israelis and virtually all Palestinians support the withdrawal.
Israel's right-wing and religious parties are most opposed to the withdrawal. Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, a member of Sharon's Likud Party, resigned in early August in protest, the highest ranking Israeli official to do so. He said that withdrawal does not require reciprocal concessions by the Palestinians. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers who object to the withdrawal have been excused from duties.
What will happen after the evacuation?
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) will administer Gaza while Israel will continue to control its borders, coastline and airspace. The biggest change for Palestinians will be that the tight travel restrictions that Israel has imposed within the territory will be lifted. The Palestinians hope to build apartment buildings on the site of the demolished Israeli homes.
How will the withdrawal affect the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
The Israeli government expects the withdrawal will reduce Palestinian attacks on Jewish citizens. The Israeli Foreign Ministry says that the withdrawal shows that Israel is willing to make significant concessions for peace. The PNA, while welcoming the dismantling of the settlements, says that the withdrawal is a unilateral move designed to consolidate Israeli control over the West Bank where the majority of Palestinians live.
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A primer answering the major questions regarding the evacuation of settlers from Gaza.
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Betrayed in Gaza
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On television, the tumult in the Gaza Strip looks like nothing less than a pogrom -- soldiers dragging Jews out of their homes and synagogues for immediate, involuntary, permanent relocation. Does it matter that the soldiers are Jewish, too? Not to the Jews being hauled away. Does it matter that some of the most vociferous protesters don't even live in Gaza and are just there to make a point? Not if you remember all the Freedom Riders of the civil rights era who came from Massachusetts or Michigan, not Mississippi.
What's happening in Gaza is geopolitically and historically correct, and when seen from the proper altitude -- high enough that individuals blur into groups -- it's morally correct as well. I agree with a succession of U.S. presidents that the Israeli settlements in Gaza and the West Bank are a roadblock to peace. I'm pleased that the Palestinians are joyously reclaiming land that was taken from them in 1967, and I hope this is a step toward the viable Palestinian state they deserve. I believe the evacuation makes Israel more secure, not less.
In other words, I adhere to the orthodox liberal position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It's not a great position, I realize, just far better than all the others.
But I can't watch those images from Gaza and ignore the low-altitude personal tragedy that's unfolding. Histrionics and political theater aside, children are being turned out of their homes. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the settlers they should blame him, not the soldiers. And they should.
They should also blame every one of the many Israeli politicians who used them like pawns all those years and now are forsaking them for the greater good. They should blame the hawks who encouraged them to move to the occupied territories as a way of staking a claim to Greater Israel. They should blame the doves who disingenuously allowed them to stay in Gaza so that one day they could be used as a bargaining chip.
Yes, they should blame Ariel Sharon and the other leaders who planted the dream in their minds, nurtured it, encouraged it to take root and grow and blossom -- and then killed it. It was an overzealous dream, a foolish dream, a dream so single-minded and devoid of empathy -- this land is ours, although we have just arrived; you are usurpers, although your great-grandfathers turned this soil -- that it was always precarious, a castle made of Gaza sand. Imagine living amid such hatred and resentment that you have to sling a loaded Uzi over your shoulder to take your family to the beach.
But I've met such settlers, not in Gaza but on the Golan Heights, which Israel took from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War. There, smiling farmers carried their Uzis when they went to work in the avocado orchards. They, too, were zealots, but they weren't monsters -- they were just participants in what Sharon and others told them was a grand national project to redefine the nation's borders.
I imagine what the news from Gaza must look like to the hundreds of thousands of Jewish settlers on the West Bank, men and women who bought that same line. Sharon reassures them that their day of reckoning will never come, but at this point how can they possibly believe him?
I don't know; I've never thought of myself as the kind of person who's weighed down by the burdens of history. But even though I hold the view that peace will never come to the Middle East until Israel leaves all the occupied territories, I'm still deeply unsettled by seeing Jews rousted from their homes in what, let's face it, is an act of ethnic cleansing. Never mind that it's self-inflicted. I feel the same unease when I see black people being racially profiled by police, even when the officers doing the profiling are themselves black.
A friend once observed that for African Americans and Jews, the word "paranoid" has no meaning. That's because history proves that it's not our imagination: They are out to get us.
So can I recognize the necessity, the inevitability of the autopogrom in Gaza without cheering its execution? I guess I don't have a choice, since that's what I feel. I'm sorry for those people, long misguided and now betrayed. Some may be religious fanatics and others political extremists, but their sugar-plum-fairy visions of Greater Israel didn't just pop into their heads.
Their political and religious leaders put them there. And now, as those leaders do what they must, they should feel the deepest sorrow and shame.
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Politicians Have Little to Offer To Ease Anguish of Gas Prices
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President Bush and members of Congress are facing an uncomfortable political reality this summer: They have little to offer Americans to ease their pain at the pump.
With gasoline prices nearing or topping $3 per gallon in some cities, Bush and lawmakers would be thrilled to call for steps big and small to quickly take the pressure off motorists financially -- and themselves politically. The president's advisers cite high gasoline prices as one reason for Bush's sagging approval ratings, while lawmakers home for the August break are feeling the heat from anxious constituents.
But the prices are an economic and political problem for which Washington has few, if any, policy remedies that would be effective or practical in the near term, according to many energy experts and elected officials.
"I wish I could say there is a quick fix, but there is not," said Rep. Bob Beauprez, a Colorado Republican who is expected to face a tough reelection campaign next year. "Everybody is feeling the pinch."
Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.) is one of several Democrats who support releasing oil from the U.S. strategic petroleum reserve. He warned this week that the soaring prices are "taking money out of the hands of working families." The idea is to pour U.S. oil into the world market to push down prices. But energy analysts warn that this move would draw down reserves whose stated purpose is to protect national security, not to manipulate prices. In any event, they note, the price drop would be uncertain and would perhaps amount to as little as a few cents per gallon.
"Gas prices are clearly reaching a level where it's a political problem for people," said Daniel Yergin, chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates, but "unless you empty [the reserve], it is a very temporary expedient. It does not affect the basic supply-and-demand problem."
Lawmakers also cannot easily suspend or reduce the 18.4-cent-per-gallon federal tax on gasoline. That money goes straight into a trust fund for covering highway and mass-transit upgrades. When gas prices climbed in the 1990s, some Republicans were quick to call for lowering the tax. This time, however, Congress has boxed itself in by passing the largest-ever transportation bill just before leaving for the August recess.
Ronald D. Utt, who studies energy issues at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, said there's "a lot of silence" on taxes "partly because everyone [in Congress] appreciates their pork barrel projects would be at risk" if gas taxes are cut.
Even if that obstacle could be surmounted, "if you roll back that tax, people have to keep in mind that may not transfer into savings for consumers," said American Automobile Association spokesman Mantill Williams. "It's not automatic [that gasoline firms] will give that discount to the consumer."
Some members of Congress -- and many editorial pages at newspapers across the country -- have proposed a perennial solution: investigate whether oil companies are fixing prices to pad profit margins. Politically, oil companies are easy targets because many are posting high profits as consumers pay more for gasoline. Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) this week called on the government to make sure "that no price gouging is occurring" in his district.
The investigation avenue might sound good, AAA's Williams said, but every time the government has investigated, "we have not found anything."
Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and others say Bush should take a harder line with Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing nations, and demand that they release more oil and help push down the price of oil, which hit a record $66 per barrel this week. But skeptics say that approach has not worked in the past. "We have to realize they have the oil, and it's a seller's market," Beauprez said.
Rep. Anne M. Northup (R-Ky.) said she heard from concerned constituents at every stop this month, including at a gas station in her district, where it cost her $41 to fill up her Ford Escape, one of the smaller sport-utility vehicles on the road. She said one of her messages to voters is: Pressure Washington to allow drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The energy policy recently passed by Congress and signed into law by Bush does not permit drilling in the refuge, but Republicans hope to open this area to drilling as part of this year's budget agreement.
It would take a long time before oil can be pumped from the ground in the refuge because oil exploration and the start of production typically take years. Though ANWR production would slightly reduce the growth in U.S. imports, experts say, its impact on prices is less clear.
Any additional supply on the world market puts downward pressure on worldwide prices. But the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries could always decide to cut production to offset ANWR's output. If that happened, production in ANWR would have no impact on world prices.
The one area sparking bipartisan interest is requiring automakers to produce more fuel-efficient cars and SUVs by tightening what is known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. In the past, lawmakers have sided with the Big Three car companies in opposing broad increases in CAFE standards, which require vehicles to get more miles from each gallon. A number of legislators are now considering plans to increase the standards.
The obvious benefit to consumers is the savings resulting from better gas mileage. But Ben Lieberman, an energy expert at the Heritage Foundation, noted: "People aren't going to drive their SUV off a cliff, and run out and buy a more economical vehicle." He added: "You are talking about something that would take a decade or more to have an effect." Others say it would take less time, but still years.
Bush, who signed into law a new energy policy earlier this year, has told audiences that the measure will not pull down prices now, but will set the stage for the United States to rely less on foreign oil in the future and more on domestically produced alternative fuels and on hybrid vehicles.
With many political strategists saying that he is getting lower-than-expected approval ratings on the economy because of gasoline prices, Bush is talking about the energy legislation at several stops this month, and administration aides are exploring possible adjustments of the CAFE standards.
Northup and others are highlighting fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles as another solution, but they come at a cost.
Consumers looking to buy a new hybrid, such as a Ford Escape that gets an estimated 36 miles per gallon in the city, will get additional assistance under the new law. Starting next year, people can claim a tax credit, ranging from $400 to $3400 depending on the model, for the purchase of a hybrid vehicle. But, as critics are quick to note, hybrids cost more than traditional vehicles, so that even with the tax credit, motorists will not gain an obvious financial benefit.
"The big problem is we did not make the right decisions 10 years ago," said Brendan Bell, an energy analyst at the Sierra Club.
In the meantime, Yergin said, the swiftest solutions will come not from Washington but from motorists themselves -- by driving less, inflating tires properly and carpooling.
Staff writer Justin Blum contributed to this report.
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Latest politics news headlines from Washington DC. Follow 2004 elections, campaigns, Democrats, Republicans, political cartoons, opinions from The Washington Post. Features government policy, government tech, political analysis and reports.
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Faded Sketch Propels Families Across a Racial Divide
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An elderly black woman drove up to the sand-colored mansion of a frail old white man in Prince George's County. She parked and walked slowly to the back entrance, as if by instinct. Under one arm, she carried a framed, faded sketch. Under the other, a roll of genealogy charts.
The sketch was of her great-great-grandparents, Basil and Lizzie Wood. They were long dead when Anna Holmes was born, but she had come to know them like her shadow.
Oden Bowie had met Basil and Lizzie. They worked for his family and may have been his ancestors' slaves. But until that chilly day in February 2002, Holmes had resisted asking for Bowie's help in writing this chapter of her family's history. For much of her life, reaching out to the white world meant crossing into a forbidding realm.
She came of age in an era forged by discrimination, when white people erected far more barriers than they lifted. Long after forced segregation ended, she still felt confined by a sense of otherness.
For three-quarters of the past century, the two families lived a few miles apart along Church Road, a thin, rural streak through central Prince George's County. The children never played together.
The adults rarely even crossed paths. Bowie's grandfather and namesake was governor of Maryland from 1869 to 1872; Holmes is the descendant of slaves and the daughter of a truck driver and a maid.
Yet like many families on opposite sides of the county's racial divide, their pasts crisscrossed beneath the surface like honeycombs.
"White people didn't want to talk about slavery. They wanted to push that back and bury it," said Holmes, who has a round face, gray-speckled hair and brown eyes that focus like a sprinter seeing the finish line. "Black people, too. They say it's too painful. A lot of history won't get written down because people don't want to talk about it."
So in the winter of her life, she decided it was time to confront her fears. Holmes went to Bowie's door, seeking the last living link to Basil and Lizzie.
She was 76 years old. He was 87.
But would Bowie let history get in the way? Would Holmes?
"Her window of opportunity was like this," said Ambler Bowie Slabe, Bowie's daughter, closing her fingers as if she was pinching salt. "She made contact with the only person on Earth who could show her the graves."
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An elderly black woman drove up to the sand-colored mansion of a frail old white man in Prince George's County. She parked and walked slowly to the back entrance, as if by instinct. Under one arm, she carried a framed, faded sketch. Under the other, a roll of genealogy charts.
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Editor Explains Reasons for 'Intelligent Design' Article
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Evolutionary biologist Richard Sternberg made a fateful decision a year ago.
As editor of the hitherto obscure Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, Sternberg decided to publish a paper making the case for "intelligent design," a controversial theory that holds that the machinery of life is so complex as to require the hand -- subtle or not -- of an intelligent creator.
Within hours of publication, senior scientists at the Smithsonian Institution -- which has helped fund and run the journal -- lashed out at Sternberg as a shoddy scientist and a closet Bible thumper.
"They were saying I accepted money under the table, that I was a crypto-priest, that I was a sleeper cell operative for the creationists," said Steinberg, 42 , who is a Smithsonian research associate. "I was basically run out of there."
An independent agency has come to the same conclusion, accusing top scientists at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History of retaliating against Sternberg by investigating his religion and smearing him as a "creationist."
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which was established to protect federal employees from reprisals, examined e-mail traffic from these scientists and noted that "retaliation came in many forms . . . misinformation was disseminated through the Smithsonian Institution and to outside sources. The allegations against you were later determined to be false."
"The rumor mill became so infected," James McVay, the principal legal adviser in the Office of Special Counsel, wrote to Sternberg, "that one of your colleagues had to circulate [your résumé] simply to dispel the rumor that you were not a scientist."
The Washington Post and two other media outlets obtained a copy of the still-private report.
McVay, who is a political appointee of the Bush administration, acknowledged in the report that a fuller response from the Smithsonian might have tempered his conclusions. As Sternberg is not a Smithsonian employee -- the National Institutes of Health pays his salary -- the special counsel lacks the power to impose a legal remedy.
A spokeswoman for the Smithsonian Institution declined comment, noting that it has not received McVay's report.
"We do stand by evolution -- we are a scientific organization," said Linda St. Thomas, the spokeswoman. An official privately suggested that McVay might want to embarrass the institution.
It is hard to overstate the passions fired by the debate over intelligent design. President Bush recently said that schoolchildren should learn about the theory alongside Darwin's theory of evolution -- a view that goes beyond even the stance of intelligent design advocates. Dozens of state school boards have attempted to mandate the teaching of anti-Darwinian theories.
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Within hours of the publication of a paper by evolutionary biologist Richard Sternberg, senior scientists at the Smithsonian Institutio lashed out at him as a shoddy scientist and a closet Bible thumper.
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London Police Stalled Probe Into Shooting
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LONDON, Aug. 18 -- The London metropolitan police resisted and delayed an independent investigation into why their officers shot an innocent man seven times in the head on a subway car last month, the official police oversight commission announced Thursday, adding to growing criticism of Scotland Yard.
Officials from the Independent Police Complaints Commission, established in 2004 to restore public confidence after a series of high-profile deaths of minority suspects in police custody, said they hoped to make up "lost ground" and soon tell the public why Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, an electrician from Brazil, was killed July 22.
Immediately after the shooting, Ian Blair, the city's police commissioner, said Menezes "was directly linked to the ongoing and expanding anti-terrorist operation." But the following day, Blair said that was not the case. He expressed his "deepest regrets" and accepted "full responsibility" for the death.
In explaining why Menezes had been shot, police initially issued a statement saying that "his clothing and his behavior at the station added to suspicions" they had about him being a potential suicide bomber. He was shot the day after the failed attacks on the London transit system and two weeks after the July 7 bombings on the system that killed 56 people, including the four presumed bombers, and wounded 700 others.
That police statement reinforced widely published reports that eyewitnesses said Menezes had jumped over the turnstile at the Stockwell subway station and was wearing a padded jacket despite warm weather. But Blair said Thursday that those reports had never been confirmed by the police.
"We have been as responsible as we could be in a very fast-moving scenario," the commissioner said, urging people to see Menezes' "tragic" death in the context of "the largest criminal inquiry in English history."
But according to new police documents, witness statements and photographs aired this week on ITV News, Menezes, contrary to the impression given by police, walked slowly into the train station and was wearing a lightweight denim jacket.
The new documents leaked to the television station indicated he was already being restrained by one officer when he was shot dead by another. The BBC reported Thursday night that a staff member of the police oversight commission had been suspended after an investigation into the source of the leaked documents.
Blair told BBC radio Thursday that there was no coverup involved and that he had no intention of resigning, as some have suggested. His office issued a statement saying that immediately after the shooting, Blair intended that "the terrorist investigation take precedence" over any investigation into the shooting.
On the morning of Menezes' death, several police surveillance teams were watching the apartment block where he lived because one of the suspected bombers in the failed July 21 attacks, Hamdi Issac, was believed to be living there. Issac has since been arrested in Rome.
A British officer manning a surveillance camera failed to get footage of Menezes because the officer had gone to the restroom, according to the new police documents. Had there been a clear photo of Menezes, police might have been able to see that he did not look like Issac, who was born in Ethiopia.
Gareth Peirce, one of the lawyers for the dead man's family, called the investigation into the shooting a "chaotic mess." At a news conference, she said the family had asked the commission to find out "how much is incompetence, negligence or gross negligence and how much of it is something sinister." By British law, if a person dies in police custody, the investigation is to be turned over to the watchdog group. Analysts said that should occur within 24 hours. But Menezes' lawyers said several days were lost as Scotland Yard resisted efforts by the oversight commission, saying "unprecedented" circumstances were involved in the bombings investigation.
John Wadham, deputy chairman of the commission, told reporters Thursday that the police "initially resisted us taking on the investigation, but we overcame that. It was an important victory for our independence. This dispute has caused delay in us taking over the investigation, but we have worked hard to recover the lost ground."
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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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'Incendiary': The Book That Became Too Hot to Handle
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The Brit might as well be reclining on a psychiatrist's couch, but instead he broods in a Washington hotel suite, trying to understand how two grisly narratives -- one fact, the other fiction -- could collide on the morning of July 7. How his novel, "Incendiary," in which a grieving mother unloads in a rambling letter to Osama bin Laden, could become a PR mess for his publisher.
"I wrote about something that could happen, and then it did happen, and now I feel that I'm fundamentally tied, probably for the rest of my life, to those events," he says. "Within 20 years' time, people will still be reviewing my book and saying, 'Chris Cleave, whose controversial debut was published in London the same day as the London attacks, comma, has written another book.' "
What happened that July morning on CNN: Suicide bombers (with al Qaeda ties, officials speculated at one point) pulled off simultaneous attacks in the London Underground and on a double-decker bus, killing 52 people and injuring hundreds more.
What happens in the first chapter of "Incendiary": Al Qaeda suicide bombers kill more than 1,000 soccer fans packed into Arsenal Stadium for the team's title game against Chelsea. "There were feet and halves of faces and big lumps of stuff in Arsenal shirts with long ropes spilling behind them like strings of sausages," Cleave's narrator describes.
After the "morbid coincidence," the novelist is promoting his book but also trying to assure readers that he is no prophet, no al Qaeda operative and, thanks to pulled advertisements in the U.K., not profiting from terror.
"A lot of people imagine I started writing this book at 9:35 a.m." the day of the attacks, says Cleave, 32. Or that terrorists got wind of his publishing date. Or that 52 people had to die before he sold one book.
"I was going to be in all the shop windows, I was going to be on TV, I was going to have print advertisements taken out for months," Cleave says. "It was going to be on two-for-three promotions, 'Best Summer Reads.' " Then all the shiny new "Incendiary" posters that decorated the tube stations were promptly taken down. Waterstone's, Britain's famed bookstore chain, also pulled its in-store displays. Cleave says he agreed with the decisions: "It was a huge book. And now it's a small book in the U.K."
While "Incendiary" had a first printing of 25,000 copies in Britain (an exceptional number for an unknown author), criticism surrounding its timing and gore has slowed sales.
"We knew there was going to be a lot of dissenting voices," says Laetitia Rutherford, Cleave's literary agent based in London. "It's a very provocative book even if you take out the terrorist attack. It's dealing with death, mutilated bodies. . . . We knew we'd hear a lot of voices saying, 'He's a nutter.' "
The immediate plan is to release "Incendiary" in 15 countries; film rights have already been sold to the producers of "Bridget Jones's Diary." Sonny Mehta, the longtime editor in chief at Knopf, made an offer for "Incendiary" within 24 hours of reading it, says Rutherford. (Knopf originally trumpeted a U.S. printing of 100,000 copies; when it was released this month, that number had been reduced to 50,000.) "It's not about a terrorist attack but a human response to tragedy," says Paul Bogaards, Knopf's publicity chief. "For us in New York on 9/11, some of the imagery resonates."
Bogaards calls the book "a slow burn" -- dependent on a word-of-mouth campaign, and so far the reviews in the United States have been mixed: The New York Times's Michiko Kakutani admonished Cleave for his decision to open the novel with "Dear Osama," branding it "a case of simple tastelessness." Newsweek marveled that it was "arguably the strangest epistolary novel ever written," driven by a nameless heroine with an "ordinariness that's compelling."
The Oxford-educated Cleave is a former copy editor for the Daily Telegraph (he says he got fired for writing personal responses to readers who'd sent in letters to the editor). His narrator, meanwhile, is an East End mother addicted to gin-and-tonics and sex when she gets nervous and who becomes manic-depressive after the murders of her husband, a Scotland Yard officer on the bomb disposal unit, and her 4-year-old son in the fictional May Day attack.
"I know you can love my boy Osama," she writes in her slightly mangled grammar. "The Sun says you are an EVIL MONSTER but I don't believe in evil I know it takes 2 to tango. I know you're vexed at the leaders of Western imperialism. Well I'll be writing to them too.
"As for you I know you'd stop the bombs in a second if I could make you see my son with all your heart for just one moment. I know you would stop making boy-shaped holes in the world."
It was March 11, 2004, when suicide bombers struck Madrid's commuter system during morning rush hour, killing 191 people. The same day, Cleave's son stood on his own for the first time and continued to grow amid a world reeling from car bombs, jihadists, Abu Ghraib. Every day brought more barbaric news, says Cleave, who at the time was writing an odd-couple comedy set in 1980s Brooklyn (wife is a pornographer, husband a mortician). He was writing a fantasy in which the world of terror was not on people's minds, he says, "so I had to stop. And I wanted to write a book that was honest."
The result was a six-week dash to produce the first draft of "Incendiary."
At one point in the novel, the reader has an image of the narrator's little boy in his tiger pajamas, holding a stuffed animal called Mr. Rabbit. Then several pages later, the mother is in an adulterous embrace with a haughty journalist while her son and husband are at the soccer game. The TV is on and she imagines them cheering in the stands of the raucous soccer stadium. She experiences sexual ecstasy at the moment 11 suicide bombers, six with fragmentation bombs under their Arsenal jerseys, the rest wearing incendiaries, detonate their explosives.
Rebecca Carter, Cleave's British editor, has heard accusations (from the press, mainly) that "Incendiary" is sensationalist and insensitive in a time of mourning.
After the July 7 attacks, "I knew people would read the book in the wrong way and that kind of saddened me," says Carter, who rushed the editing process for fear that an inevitable attack on London would precede the book's release. "Our whole campaign appeared tasteless, and in a way that wasn't intended."
In "Incendiary," the British government -- which keeps a sinister secret about the fictional attack -- orders that Muslims be fired from all high-profile jobs, but also in other fields, such as health care. It also installs the "Shield of Hope" to protect the city from kamikazes, clogging the city skyline with gigantic balloons bearing the bloated faces of victims. Meanwhile, Elton John belts out "England's Heart Is Bleeding," a piano anthem that will top the pop charts "probably forever or at least until the sun and the stars burned out like cheap lightbulbs and the universe ended for good and it couldn't come soon enough if you asked me but nobody did," the narrator muses.
In one scene Cleave has Prince William making an appearance at a London hospital, shaking hands with the novel's battered heroine right after she is informed that nothing remains of her son and husband except their teeth. Vomit spills all over his royal shoes. Cameras flash.
"What if," Cleave says, pondering whether a novel can really change world events. "What if Osama bin Laden picks up that book, in a moment of weakness . . . and says, 'Oh, God. Well, maybe I'll think slightly differently.' What if it changed one atom in his brain? I don't know. What if. And I know it's clutching at straws in a drowning world, but you got to clutch 'em. . . .
"If I want to be remembered for anything other than this sick coincidence, then my next book had better be bloody good," he says. "My next book had better be unbelievably fantastic to the point where people talk about that, rather than the coincidence."
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Search Washington, DC area books events, reviews and bookstores from the Washington Post. Features DC, Virginia and Maryland entertainment listings for bookstores and books events. Visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/eg/section/books today.
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New Job-Hunting Sites Might Be Monster Killers
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Monster.com may grow up to be a dinosaur. That was my first thought upon seeing a new breed of online job sites shaking up the recruitment industry.
Simply Hired and Indeed, upstarts less than a year old, are getting attention for their Google-like approach to helping people find jobs. They do for job listings what Google does for general information -- crawl or "scrape" listings from thousands of sites and create a free, searchable index in one spot.
The key difference between these sites and leading job boards Monster and CareerBuilder is that employers don't pay to be listed. Simply Hired and Indeed base their results on a crawling of the Web and mathematical formulas that attempt to judge the relevance of each job opening to a user's query, much as regular search results are presented on Google. As a result, Indeed ( http://www.indeed.com/ ) and Simply Hired ( http://www.simplyhired.com/ ) offer many more listings than Monster or CareerBuilder -- including some found at those sites, at specialty recruiting services and the sites of individual employers.
Indeed is even developing a pay-per-click advertising model that mimics Google's, including an online auction in which employers and other companies will bid to have their ads displayed alongside regular search results. In most cases, the paid ads will link back to listings on an employer's site. Simply Hired wouldn't say exactly how it plans to make money, except that it will use some form of pay-per-qualified lead and pay-per-hire model.
"By and large, employers will foot the bill," said Simply Hired chief executive Gautam Godhwani. "Over time, we are going to be able to bring a targeted job seeker over to your Web site or send them to a listing you have anywhere on the Web."
Executives at both sites contend that their approach will complement rather than replace the paid listings of Monster and CareerBuilder, which is owned by a group of newspaper chains.
But if Indeed and Simply Hired succeed, they will put pressure on the big job boards to lower or eliminate their basic listing fees and find other ways to collect money from employers. After all, if you were an employer, would you prefer to pay $300 for a listing on Monster, pay nothing to post it on a site like Craigslist, or just display it on your own site? All three routes would produce essentially the same listing in search results on Indeed and Simply Hired.
Google, meanwhile, has declined to disclose any plan it may have for indexing jobs, but you can bet that the search giant is preparing some form of recruitment search -- and that will only intensify the squeeze on paid sites.
The No. 3 recruiting site, Yahoo HotJobs, surprised analysts last month by introducing a job search that for the first time includes free listings copied from sites across the Web. But to minimize the chance of undercutting its paid listings, HotJobs shows the freebies at the bottom of its results, below its premium jobs. Moreover, HotJobs doesn't appear to be showing listings from key rivals such as Monster, making it less comprehensive than Indeed and Simply Hired.
That would seem to validate the claims from the upstarts that they are less employer-centric than the big boards.
"Our whole approach is to put the job seeker first and make the process simpler for them," said Paul Forster, chief executive of Indeed. "It is a different philosophy from the job boards, which essentially put their clients first because you can only read jobs posted there by their clients."
Recruitment is a huge industry, of course, and the Internet has had the newspaper industry in a tizzy for years with its steady cannibalization of print classifieds. No wonder the New York Times Co. joined the consortium that announced an investment of $5 million in Indeed last week.
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Monster.com may grow up to be a dinosaur. Simply Hired and Indeed, upstarts less than a year old, are getting attention for their Google-like approach to helping people find jobs.
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Break on Foreign-Profit Tax Means Billions to U.S. Firms
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Prompted by a one-time tax holiday on profits earned abroad, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co. announced early this year that it would bring home $8 billion to boost research and development spending, capital investments and other job-creating ventures.
Six months into the year, Lilly's R&D spending had increased by 10 percent. But that $134 million is only a small fraction of the $8 billion that is boosting the company's coffers.
For proponents of the tax holiday, including the corporations that lobbied for it, Lilly proves that the tax provision is working. For skeptics, it means the opposite: A measure designed to create jobs is instead rewarding the companies that are most adept at stashing overseas profits in tax havens, allowing them to bring money home at a severely discounted tax rate. Once here, that money is simply freeing up domestic profits that would have been spent on job creation and investment anyway.
"There will be some stimulative effect because it pumps money into the economy," said Phillip L. Swagel, a former chief of staff on President Bush's Council of Economic Advisers, which had opposed the tax holiday. "But you might as well have taken a helicopter over 90210 [Beverly Hills] and pushed the money out the door. That would have stimulated the economy as well."
A well-organized business coalition, led by pharmaceutical firms and high-technology companies, pushed hard last year to get a long-sought tax holiday into the corporate tax bill moving through Congress, called the American Jobs Creation Act. Treasury Secretary John W. Snow objected that the measure would unfairly benefit multinational corporations over domestic firms, while White House economists said it would produce no substantial economic benefit.
But with bipartisan backing, the business groups prevailed. Most companies with substantial cash holdings overseas have until the end of this year to bring them home at an effective tax rate of 5.25 percent, rather than the standard corporate tax rate of 35 percent.
So far, the effects have been muted. Martin Gonzalez, a principal at Banc of America Securities, estimated that by midyear, $30 billion to $40 billion in foreign profits had been brought home, just 10 percent of the $300 billion to $400 billion he said could be repatriated by the end of the tax holiday.
Pfizer Inc. has led the pack with a promised $37 billion repatriation. Procter & Gamble Co. intends to bring home $10.7 billion, and Johnson & Johnson Inc. has an $11 billion plan. Schering-Plough Corp. could bring back $9 billion. This week, Hewlett-Packard Co. announced it will repatriate $14.5 billion in the second half of the year, mainly for "strategic acquisitions," said Ryan Donovan, an HP spokesman.
Robert S. McIntyre, a critic of corporate tax policy at Citizens for Tax Justice, questioned why "strategic acquisitions" would create jobs. "Usually it means layoffs. That's the strategic part," he said.
Of the roughly 100 companies that disclosed permanently reinvested foreign earnings over $500 million in 2002, 20 percent announced repatriation plans in the first three months of the year, said Susan M. Albring of the University of South Florida and Lillian F. Mills of the University of Arizona, who are tracking the response. Fifteen percent said such plans were likely.
Under the law and subsequent Treasury regulations, the repatriated money is supposed to go toward hiring and training, infrastructure development, R&D, capital investments, or other job-creating activities. None of the money could be used to feather the nests of shareholders or bosses through executive compensation, stock buybacks or dividend increases.
But Treasury officials warned from the beginning that such requirements were virtually unenforceable, Swagel said.
For proponents of the policy, there may be no better example than Dell Inc., the personal-computer maker, which said it will bring home $4.1 billion in foreign profits, in part to build a new manufacturing plant in Winston-Salem, N.C.
But of that $4.1 billion, just over $100 million is going to the plant, which Dell says would have been built anyway. Dell spokesman Jess Blackburn said other expenditures will include compensation and benefits for non-executives, research and development, advertising, marketing, and some capital investments outside North Carolina.
What it will not be used for is a $2 billion stock buyback announced April 6, two months after the repatriation plan was announced, Blackburn said. That buyback, although double the level initially planned for the firm's second quarter, was merely the latest in a long series of buybacks used to boost Dell stock prices, he said.
"If we had never bought stock back and we bought stock back this year, I would raise my own eyebrows," he said.
In June, after the release of its repatriation plan, Pfizer said it would buy back up to $5 billion in common stock.
No one is suggesting that companies are violating the law, said Pamela F. Olson, who as assistant Treasury secretary for tax policy opposed the provision. But the new cash from abroad has "loosened company balance sheets," she said. Some of the new investments would not have been made without the measure, but most of it is simply displacing money that would have been spent anyway.
"Money is in some sense always fungible," said Jonah Rockoff, a Columbia University economist.
Another concern is the incentive the holiday may provide to tax shelterers.
Companies with operations in countries with corporate tax rates close to the U.S. rate had nothing to gain, since they already can deduct taxes paid abroad from tax bills on repatriated earnings. Companies with profits in tax havens with little or no corporate income taxes stand to gain the most.
It made sense that the provision was pushed by technology and pharmaceutical companies, because so much of their profits come from "intangible" property, such as patents and licensing, Mills said. "The profit from a new drug for pain relief is easier to shelter in a low-tax country than is the profit from making and selling shirts," she said.
But such companies also have large R&D operations in the United States that could be funded by repatriated profits.
"Companies are making the decision," Mills said. "'Would I ever have repatriated these earnings?' If the answer is yes, they're taking it. If it's no, they will not even want to pay a 5.25 percent rate."
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Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland business news headlines with stock portfolio and market news, economy, government/tech policy, mutual funds, personal finance. Dow Jones, S&P 500, NASDAQ quotes. Features top DC, VA, MD businesses, company research tools
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Some Summer Air Is Cleaner, EPA Says
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New federal pollution controls have improved the summer air breathed by 100 million Americans, according to a study released yesterday by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Under rules that took effect last year, 21 eastern states and the District of Columbia must reduce regional nitrogen oxide emissions by 1 million tons between May 1 and Sept. 30. On hot, sunny days nitrogen oxides combine with pollutants called volatile organic compounds and form ozone smog, which has been linked to asthma and premature death.
Last year, nitrogen oxide emissions from power plants and other sources dropped by half compared with 2000, according to the EPA, and ozone concentrations fell 10 percent during that same period. Other sources of nitrogen oxide emissions include oil refineries, pulp and paper mills, and cement kilns.
"This report is a pretty big deal," Jeffrey Holmstead, the agency's assistant administrator for air and radiation, said yesterday. "This summer I, along with other parents, can play baseball outside with my kids knowing the air is cleaner."
Holmstead added that the administration is demanding greater pollution cuts under a Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) it adopted this spring. It will permanently limit power plant emissions of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, another air pollutant, in 28 eastern states and the District of Columbia.
Environmentalists also hailed the findings, saying they show that industry can operate more cleanly once the government demands it. Under the new program, known as "state implementation plan call," states have to meet an overall pollution cap but individual plants can trade emissions, so a cleaner facility can sell its "credits" to a dirtier one.
"This is command and control that also employs market mechanisms, which is what everyone favors," said John Stanton, a senior attorney for the advocacy group Clear the Air.
Stanton added that unlike CAIR, which allows up to a decade to achieve some pollution cuts, the nitrogen oxide rule gave states a three-year deadline to comply with the stricter standards.
"By requiring nitrogen oxide reductions for the 2004 summer season, we saw immediate health benefits," Stanton said.
EPA officials said it is too early to say whether 2005 will have fewer unhealthy air days than past hot summers, but preliminary findings indicate this summer has had less smog than 2002, which had a similar number of hot, dry days.
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Rader Gets 175 Years For BTK Slayings
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After evading justice for more than 31 years, Dennis Rader, a serial killer who called himself BTK -- for "bind, torture, kill" -- was sentenced to 10 consecutive life terms in a court in Wichita, Kan.
It was the culmination of an emotional two-day sentencing hearing during which details of the murders were revealed for the first time. The victims' relatives relived their ordeal on the witness stand and listened to graphic descriptions of the killer's twisted sexual fantasies. In June, Rader pleaded guilty to 10 murders between 1974 and 1991.
Judge Gregory Waller, who said there was "no evidence of mitigating factors" in the case, ordered the former Lutheran Church president and Boy Scout leader to a minimum of 175 years in prison.
Beverly Plapp, sister of victim Nancy Fox, said during the nationally televised hearing that the emotional scars will never heal. "As far as I'm concerned, Dennis Rader does not deserve to live. I want him to suffer as much as he made his victims suffer." Rader was not eligible for the death penalty, because his killing spree ended three years before Kansas reintroduced capital punishment in 1994.
Before sentencing, Rader was given permission to address the court, in a procedure known as allocution. In a rambling half-hour statement, he quoted the Bible and thanked his lawyers, jailers, friends and family, before paying tribute to the law enforcement officials who caught him.
"I hope someday God will accept me. The dark side was there, but now I think light is beginning to shine," he said. "People will say I am not a Christian, but I believe I am. I know the victims' families will never be able to forgive me. I hope somewhere deep down that will happen."
Rader also took full responsibility for his actions, and emphasized how cooperative he had been with officials, a statement disputed by the prosecutor immediately afterward. "I brought the community, my family, the victims, dishonor. It's all self-centered," Rader said.
During the hearing, family members called him a "monster," a "depraved predator" and demanded that Rader end his days behind bars.
The court heard from relatives of the Otero family, four of whom were murdered by Rader in 1974, when he targeted their 11-year-old daughter, Josephine. After killing her parents and 9-year-old brother, he removed her clothes and led her to the basement, where he had already prepared a noose. He told her "Well, honey, you're going to be in heaven with the rest of your family" then masturbated while she hanged.
"My mother against your gun, you are such a coward," said Carmen Otero Montoya, a sister of Josephine, who refused to address Rader as BTK because she said it would dignify him. "Rader is an appropriate name for you, as in one who invades, a surprise attack. That is nothing to be proud of."
The court also heard from Kevin Bright, who was attacked by Rader and locked in the bathroom while he murdered Bright's sister in 1974. Bright fought back tears as he told the judge that he wants Rader to suffer for the rest of his life.
"No remorse, no compassion, I think that's what he ought to receive," Bright said. At this point, Rader wiped away tears of his own, one of his few displays of emotion during the hearing.
Graphic details of the meticulous way he approached the killings also emerged during the hearing. On Wednesday, the court learned that Rader used to practice squeezing a rubber ball to strengthen a hand to stop it from going numb while he strangled victims, Detective Clint Snyder testified. Rader also painstakingly chronicled his actions, amassing a huge collection of photographs, drawings and cutouts, which he kept at home and at work.
He was arrested in February, 11 months after resuming contact with the police after a 25-year silence. He taunted the authorities with a string of clues, sending jewelry in envelopes to local reporters and leaving more of his victims' belongings in a cereal box by the roadside.
DNA techniques, unavailable to police in the 1970s, helped connect Rader to his victims.
Law enforcement officials had theorized that the killer thrived on attention. After one murder, he called 911 to report a homicide he had committed.
After Rader's arrest, Richard LaMunyon, a former Wichita police chief, said Rader left so many clues that he clearly "wanted to tell his story."
Prosecutors have filed a motion to restrict Rader's access to newspapers and writing material to ensure that he cannot glory in coverage of his case. A judge will rule at a hearing in 30 days.
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After evading justice for more than 31 years, Dennis Rader, a serial killer who called himself BTK -- for "bind, torture, kill" -- was sentenced to 10 consecutive life terms in a court in Wichita, Kan.
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Taft Admits Ethics Violations
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Ohio Gov. Bob Taft (R) yesterday pleaded no contest to charges that he violated state ethics laws, becoming the first governor in the state's history convicted of a crime and providing powerful ammunition to Democrats seeking to break the Republican Party's dominance in a critical swing state.
For the past decade, Democrats have been in retreat in the Buckeye State. Republicans have won the governor's office for four consecutive terms, control both houses of the legislature and hold the other major statewide offices. Last year, Ohio was ground zero in the presidential campaign and provided the crucial electoral votes that secured President Bush's reelection victory.
Political analysts said yesterday that the spreading scandal that put Taft in a Columbus courthouse, as well as public dissatisfaction over an economy whose unemployment rate is above the national average, leaves Republicans vulnerable for a potential housecleaning in next year's elections. "Potentially, it could be a very tough year," said Eric W. Rademacher, co-director of the University of Cincinnati's Ohio Poll.
Taft, who cooperated with investigators, issued a public apology after being convicted on four misdemeanor counts for failing to report 52 golf outings, dinners and other entertainment gifts. He was fined $4,000, the maximum. Taft, who by law cannot run again, said he will not resign.
"There are no words to express the deep remorse that I feel over the embarrassment that I have caused for my administration and for the people of the state of Ohio," Taft said after the sentencing. "I offer my sincere and heartfelt apology, and I hope the people will understand that these mistakes, though major and important mistakes, were done unintentionally, and I hope and pray they will accept my apology."
Among the golf outings were two from Tom Noe, a prominent Republican fundraiser and rare coin dealer who is at the heart of a larger scandal involving the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation, which invested approximately $50 million in rare coins through Noe. Investigators later found $10 million to $13 million was missing, sending GOP officials scampering to escape the taint of association with Noe.
The Taft name is one of the most storied in the history of Republican politics. His father and grandfather were both U.S. senators, and his great-grandfather, William Howard Taft, served both as president and as chief justice of the United States. But in office, Taft has struggled constantly. With the news of his reporting failures, his approval rating has plunged below 20 percent, the lowest of any governor in the nation.
Republicans blamed Taft's unpopularity and the coin scandal for the surprisingly close outcome in a special House election in southwest Ohio this month. In that race, Democrat Paul Hackett, an Iraq war veteran and harsh critic of Bush, came within 5,000 votes of defeating Republican Jean Schmidt in a district Bush won with 64 percent of the vote.
Rademacher said the challenge for Republicans next year will be to convince voters that the problems that have left them so unhappy are the fault of the Taft administration, not the GOP itself. "One of the real questions for all of us for next year is . . . whether or not their focus is on the governor's office or all the statewide offices up for election next year," he said.
The Democrats' top priorities appear to be the governor's office and the office of secretary of state, which oversees elections and which became a focal point of Democrats' anger last year because the incumbent, Republican J. Kenneth Blackwell, also chaired the Bush-Cheney campaign in the state.
Congressional Democrats also are targeting Republican Rep. Robert W. Ney, whose association with indicted Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff has tied him to charges of GOP corruption. On Wednesday, Chillicothe Mayor Joseph P. Sulzer, a Democrat, announced his candidacy for the House seat.
Senate Democratic campaign officials have been seeking to recruit someone to run against Republican Sen. Mike DeWine, but on Wednesday, heavily recruited Rep. Sherrod Brown announced he would not run. Some grass-roots Democrats want Hackett to run for the Senate.
However vulnerable Republicans may be, Democrats can't count on scandal alone to change their fortunes. "Their party structure is not well funded or well organized," said John C. Green, director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron. "Even if the situation turned out to be very bad for the Republicans next year, from the vantage point of today, it would seem unlikely that the Democrats would sweep a large proportion of the offices."
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Ohio Gov. Bob Taft (R) pleads no contest to charges that he violated state ethics laws, providing ammunition to Democrats seeking to break the Republican Party's dominance in a critical swing state.
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Firm Fined for Channeling Donations to GOP
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The Federal Election Commission yesterday fined Westar Energy Inc., two former corporate officers and the firm's lobbyist a total of $40,500 for their roles in channeling contributions to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Tex.) and other Republicans.
Westar, a Kansas energy company, was fined $20,000; it admitted in a conciliation agreement that it violated campaign laws by engaging "on two separate occasions in the practice of facilitating corporate contributions to candidates for federal office." Corporations are barred from contributing to federal campaigns.
The agreements made public do not apply to DeLay and to some other corporate officials.
But DeLay was admonished in connection with the case for creating the "improper appearance" that Westar might receive special access or treatment when he attended the company's golf fundraiser in June 2002, according to the House ethics committee.
At the time, energy legislation critically important to the company was about to go to a House-Senate conference committee. Language was inserted protecting Westar from financial damage that might be caused by other provisions of the bill.
Stuart Roy, then DeLay's spokesman, acknowledged that DeLay met with Westar representatives but said that "we have no control over any fantasies they might have about what they might get for a campaign contribution." The language was withdrawn from the bill after disclosures that the firm was under grand jury investigation.
Lobbyist Richard Bornemann of Governmental Strategies Inc., who was fined $5,000, wrote an April 23, 2002, memo to the company calling for it and its officers to give $56,5000 to members of Congress, including $25,000 to a committee run by DeLay, "to develop a significant and positive profile for the Company's federal presence."
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Latest politics news headlines from Washington DC. Follow 2004 elections, campaigns, Democrats, Republicans, political cartoons, opinions from The Washington Post. Features government policy, government tech, political analysis and reports.
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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.
Carolyn Hax: Hi. Some items of business before we start:
1. I've finally remembered to get the title of that anthology, the one with the essays (including mine) that discuss working vs. stay-at-home motherhood. It's called "Mommy Wars," edited by Leslie Morgan Steiner, and it's out next spring. Don't worry, I'll remind you again then, I promise.
2. If anyone has a favorite column, maybe clipped out or oft forwarded, and is willing to email me the pub date and/or topic, I'd be really grateful. (tellme@washpost.com) I'm considering putting together a collection, and while I know which ones I like, that's nowhere near as useful as knowing what you guys liked. You've already told me which ones you hated, set on fire, backed over with your cars, so no need to do so again, thanks.
3, but not least. The ALS Association is holding another event to raise money for patient care and research, and this time you can help just by having dinner. For the Feast to Defeat ALS on Sept. 12, several D.C. and Baltimore-area restaurants will donate 10 percent of that day's proceeds to the cause. Please go to www.alsinfo.org to see if a restaurant near you is participating. THANK YOU.
Okay that's all the business.
Potomac, Md.: I have a problem with a friend of mine. She's really interested in dating around and possibly marriage, but she can never seem to find a boyfriend. After a couple conversations, guys tend to dump her. I think I know what the problem is. She plays "dumb." She's really intelligent, but when she's talking to guys, she says such "airheaded" things... that I think it turns them off. It may be nervousness. Should I mention this to her, or is it something so insensitive, that I should keep it under wraps? Thanks!
Carolyn Hax: If it's nerves, telling her will make her more nervous, and if it's an act, she needs to do more than stop acting--she needs to grow up, a lot. So, I vote for not telling. (Another factor in my vote, you could be wrong about what she's doing wrong.)
The best thing you can do for her dating prospects is help her feel comfortable with herself, and the best thing you can do to help her be comfortable with herself is like her the way she is.
I am 32, single. Most of my girlfriends are either married or attached. I love them very much but it bothers me a great deal when they keep telling me to "meet more people" to increase the chance of meeting the ONE.
I get irritated because I DO meet people and it's not like I don't date. But I don't need MORE people, I just need ONE that's right. Am I asking too much, or being too naive? I am sick of having to explain to people why I am still single, and that I believe when it's meant to be, it will happen.
Carolyn Hax: Why are you having to explain so often why you're single? Are people throwing unsolicited dating advice at you, or are you complaining just as often that you're sick of being single/meeting jerks/finding out all the "good ones" are engaged, married or gay (or all three)?
If it's the first, you need to make it clear your marital status isn't everyone's problem, because it's NOT A PROBLEM. If it's the second, please find another topic of conversation if you don't like what people say back.
Richmond, Va.: I have been in a relationship for a little over three years. Our relationship has a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde complex. When things are on, they are fantastic, but there are issues when she drinks to excess. She becomes a totally different person: angry, belligerent, and violent. Afterwards she is mortified by her behavior and could not be sweeter. I am torn because I love the kind side of her, but the latest (about a month ago) of these horrible outbreaks happened with my family. I want to be able to forgive her, but there is a part of me that won't let that happen. Is this scar going to heal?
Carolyn Hax: Not if you keep treating ONE person as if she's two people, and not if you keep expecting Ms. Hyde to go away on her own. Your girlfriend IS Ms. Hyde. Ms Hyde IS your girlfriend.
For things to be otherwise, she needs to get into treatment for alcohol abuse, you need to get into counseling to help you understand why you're hanging on to a relationship with someone who's abusing you (1-800-799-SAFE is a good place to get names of people in your area, or a local Al-Anon chapter), and you both need to get out of the relationship. For your own safety and well-being if for no other reason, though there are other reasons.
Washington, D.C.: I went to a small casual dinner party the other night given by one of my best friends. I hate cheese, all kinds, which she knows, yet she served caesar salad and lasagna. When I barely ate all night, she asked if I wasn't feeling well. What gives! She definitly knows I do not eat cheese, we've been friends for YEARS. Should I ask why she purposely did this? I felt very uncomfortable not eating at all in front of the other people I did not know. Hmph!
Carolyn Hax: Maybe she forgot. Hmph! You may know that she definitely knows, but you definitely don't know that she didn't forget. Instead of going at her with an angry, dukes-up accusation, just assume she forgot and drop it. And if it happens again, then you can mention it--in private. Say, that you're sorry you didn't eat the dinner she made, but that you don't eat cheese. No need to get a p'y about it.
Chicago, Ill.: I'm a mid-40s never married male. Recently, a date asked me while I was was driving if I ever took up living with a woman. When I answered no, she couldn't believe it and demanded to know why. My answer was that vitually all my happily married siblings and friends did not cohabitate before marriage. I'm not comfortable with it, and neither were the women I was in an exclusive relationship with.
Of course, she has cohabitated outside of marriage and thinks I'm a freak. I don't believe I have to be apologetic about my choices, especially when the other person concurred.
Is my belief that rare??
Carolyn Hax: No, I don't think so. More important though than a specific belief on this is a willingness to refrain from judging people just because they believe otherwise. She blew that one, it seems.
Washington, D.C.: So this Sunday is my birthday. Boyfriend most likely has forgotten, judging from the plans he's made. Do I clue him in?
Carolyn Hax: Definitely, if you're going to be upset when he doesn't acknowledge it.
Forgotten Food Phobias: I recently made dinner for a friend who doesn't like green peppers. We've also been friends for years and I knew about this, but made stuffed peppers without thinking about it. I didn't notice that she only ate the filling out of it, but she emailed me later to remind me and apologize for not eating it all. It just slipped my mind and I wasn't trying to starve her. Don't assume she's out to get you. People forget.
Carolyn Hax: Nicely put, thanks. I would have gone with the snarkier, "Don't assume it's all about you."
Massachussetts: Dear Carolyn, I suffered a miscarriage in May this year and it took me about two months to recover from everything -- the surgery and the painful emotions. My problem is that people who know or come to know about the miscarriage, inevitably say that I'm coping very well and had it been them, they would not have recovered so fast or taken it so well. I know the underlying compliment is that I'm tough and resilient but I feel at the same time that they are implying that somehow I did not grieve or feel enough. I can't and don't want to tell them that I still have flashes of intense pain (which for me is a private issue) and even if I did not, it should be OK to want to move on from a very traumatic experience without feelings of guilt. I find myself stuttering and trying to explain in answer. Do you have any ideas on what I can politely and firmly say when I get these remarks?
Carolyn Hax: "Thank you." The underlying compliment is that you are tough and resilient, and the underlying truths are that people are acknowledging what a difficult thing you've been through; that it's hard to know what to say to someone in this situation so even people who upset you even more are likely just trying to be kind; and that the guilt stems from your interpretation of their words and not their words themselves. So, give everyone a break, yourself most of all.
Or, if you'd prefer, you just come out and say, "Thanks, but appearances can be deceiving." You don't need to elaborate if you don't want to.
Washington, D.C.: Hi, I posted last week about my girlfriend meeing with an ex who has crossed propriety lines in the past. When I asked my girlfriend why she was initiating interest in the ex, her response was that things were going so well for us, she was getting nervous. She says she has a history of sabotaging things in her life that are going well because she is afraid of success. I have no idea to respond to this. I am sufficiently convinced that the little flirtation stuff with the ex is over, but what can I/we do to keep this from happening again?
Carolyn Hax: What she can do is address her problem for her own health and happiness, by getting some counseling or doing something equally decisive and tangible to confront her own behavior.
What you can do is look for signs that she wants to address her problem. If she just says, "My bad!"--and only because she was busted--then don't expect the future to bring anything different.
You can't make her deal with it, in case that crossed your mind. You can suggest she talk to a therapist but that's abotu it. The rest is waiting to see what she does and responding as you see fit.
Carolyn Hax: I'll be back in 5. Sorry.
Carolyn Hax: Back now, thanks. Somebody's tantrum got bigger than a babysitter should have to manage.
Cheese, please: There's also a difference between being lactose-intolerant and merely hating chese. If it's an allergy, best to call ahead and inquire about the supper (not PC but useful for the hostess). If it's not an allergy, suck it up and make an effort. Caeser salad and lasagna is a great meal for a hostess because most people like it and you can make it early and spend more time with guests. But in the craziness of getting ready for dinner, it's pretty easy to forget who chooses not to eat something.
Carolyn Hax: A whole lot of postings like these, thanks, and this was one of the calmest. The consensus (and etiquette) being that if you merely don't like the food you're served, or even hate it, you make an effort. Hate it to the point of shuddering, you still do your best. (My mommy taught me this, too, I just blanked I guess.)
Forgotten Foods, Continued...: I once had a dinner party where I served chicken skewers to a guest that was vegetarian, and an alcohol-soaked tiramisu to a recovering alcoholic. Same party.
I've since learned to try to be more conscientious, but I also try to remind myself to ask.
Carolyn Hax: And in the end, the worse it is the better the story.
Maryland: A close family member is having a baby shower. My wife and I are having trouble getting pregnant. My wife doesn't want to go to the shower for obvious reasons. If she doesn't, my family will never forgiver her or me. What to do?
Carolyn Hax: Fill in a few blanks? One, does your family know of your struggles? Two, is your trouble of the we-need-to-make-an- appointment-with-a-doctor variety, or of the she's-had-three- miscarriages-the-most-recent-of-which- was-last-week variety?
The distinction (pause to tighten the chin strap on my helmet) matters quite a bit.
If it's the latter, people either will understand her absence or they need to be slapped.
If it's the former, she should consider that it's okay for other people to be happy, and that life doesn't get postponed just because she isn't in the mood for it, and that putting on a nice dress and a smile even when you're in pain is the kind of thing that close families are all about (and it's also, in the long run, what wins you loyal and devoted friends).
If it's in between, it's a judgment call.
Annapolis, Md,: What is a good way to overcome self-doubt? My fiance admitted to me that he's having a hard time moving in with me (two hours away from where he is now) because he is scared that he will be turned down for a job. All the other jobs he's had (including his current) he got by basically showing up; they needed a warm body. The wedding is in a month and if we plan to live together afterwards I feel as though he should get started, which he hasn't. I want to help him but I don't know how to even start. Do you think this is covering up something else (possibly not wanting to go through with this)?
Carolyn Hax: Sounds that way to me. I think if you approach him, without any any any trace of a chip on your shoulder, with the fact that you don't want to be in the position of having to pressure your own husband to live with you, and that you'd rather postpone the wedding than continue to live in two places after you're married, the conditions might be forgiving enough for him to say what he's not saying. Please let me know how it goes.
YIPPEE: I just won $1,000 on a scratch-off lottery ticket!; What should I do with it!;?
Carolyn Hax: Tell Me About It
Washington, D.C.: Submitting early because of vacation...
I am wondering what you think about the act of demanding an apology. I am asking because recently me and some friends have been on the receiving end, each time for something we really don't think we did wrong but were asked to apologize for. Our apologies were sincere but in word only because in our hearts we don't feel we did any harm. It seems like it would make more sense if the apology came naturally. Or at the most, the offended person could have told me they were hurt and I would have probably apologized but when they tacked on the line about demanding an apology, I thought it was useless. What are your thoughts?
Carolyn Hax: So you get to go away while we toil away over your question? I demand an apology.
1. Sincere "in word only," not in your hearts? Grab the nearest beach dictionary, please. Your apologies were thoroughly insincere.
2. If you were told of the harm you did and you agreed that you did something hurtful, but your apologies were grudging only because you resented being asked to apologize, then that sounds an awful lot like you're finding ways to blame the victim as a way of ducking responsibility for your hurtful behavior.
3. If you're being asked to apologize and you don't think you did anything wrong, you say something along the lines of, "I want to make things right, but I don't understand what I did wrong--please tell me what's bothering you." Or, if you do know what the complaint is but you still don't agree you did anything wrong, you say that--along with an explanation, like, "I meant no harm," or, "It's possible you didn't hear me correctly," or whatever else -honestly- applies.
Short version, you don't just apologize to shut someone up, and there's nothing wrong with asking for apologies.
Carolyn Hax: I swear, it's the questions I think are going to be quick that take me the longest to answer.
Arlington, Va.: Hey Carloyn, my boyfriend recently told me that he wants to take six months to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. It's been his dream for a long time to do this, but I can't help but take it as a personal rejection to some extent. There's part of me that says, "this isn't about you!" but another part that wonders if it's OK to be freaking out about his choosing to be apart for such a long time. He does say that he wants to get married and buy a house together, but he wants to hike the A-T first so he won't regret it for the rest of his life. I'd love to find a way to be supportive of his dream, but find myself upset about it instead. Any advice?
Carolyn Hax: Support his dream. Goes well with the shut-up-and-eat-the-cheese theme we have going.
Not that I want to encourage you to make this about you, but there is a compliment to you in all this: If he's serious about you, and he's serious about his dream of doing this hike, then he's going to have to get the hike out of the way ASAP so he can get on with his life with you.
Another reason to celebrate. When he dreams of something for a long time, he finds a way to do it. Yay him, for one, but yay you too. If he comes back to you after his hike, this trait of his will serve you well maybe 100 times longer than the six months you're apart. And if the hike is enough to undo your relationship, then you know what I'm going to say.
Bethesda, Md.: Just made a major gaffe with a friend. He lives in CA, we went to high school together. I got married two months ago, he flew in for just the day and got me a nice gift. A month later, I got an invitation to his mother's (local) surprise birthday party. I put it aside, intending to RSVP.
I forgot. I just remembered the party was this past weekend. I feel very guilty. What do I do?
Carolyn Hax: Send a gift and a happy belated b-day card to the mom, and a separate I-am-a-jerk card to your friend. What can you do.
Re: Lottery scratch-off ticket: 1. Set aside about a third for your favorite Uncle, Uncle Sam in DC.
2. Put 1/3 in savings.
3. Use 1/3 for fun stuff. Some suggestions:
a. Buy a gift certificate for $50 from an arts-and-crafts supply store and send it anonymously to the principal of the elementary school you went to, "to be used for a fun project". Or...
b. Donate $50 to a fund that provides low-cost spaying or neutering to pets. Or...
c. Call a convalescent home and find out if there's a resident who never gets gifts in the mail and rarely has visits, and send that person flowers or something nice. Or...
d. Call up your local child protective services agency and find out if you can give a gift of some sort to a child who is in care of CPS and could use something. Or...
e. Use your imagination to figure out something small and inexpensive that you could do that would brighten someone's day, and perform your own "random act of kindness."
Then spend the rest on something nice for yourself!;
Carolyn Hax: These are such great ideas. Wow.
Nick Too, NS: Usually, when Nick goes out of his way to highlight features of folks, it's people he (you both?) knows... This time, I could SWEAR that it's Martin Scorcese as the customer and Mark Twain as the bartender... Am I right?
Carolyn Hax: No, but Nick's friend and father are going to enjoy hearing they resemble Martin Scorsese and Mark Twain.
Tampa, Fla.: I'm really concerned about my boyfriend and his gorgeous new neighbor. The neighbor has been shamelessly flirting, and I confronted her last week. She didn't deny it, in fact she said, "He'll be mine, it's a matter of time." I then told my boyfriend, and he said, "What's your problem? Why did you go mouthing off to her?" He then said "how would I date her, she works Saturday nights as a shot girl in Ybor City?" Can you believe it? How do I get my boyfriend to understand that this woman is trespassing on my turf, and that she is disrespecting me?
Carolyn Hax: Um. How do I get you to understand your boyfriend is responsible for his own behavior? Tell the neighbor he's all hers, because they deserve each other.
New York, N.Y.: Love your column.
I know two girls. Chemistry and attraction with both. But TONS of Chemistry with one and TONS of attraction with the other. Whats more important in the long run?
Since I use chemistry and attraction interchangeably, um, go with the one you feel you can talk to and laugh with forever, about anything.
re: lottery ticket: Carolyn, you are showing a lot of restraint not suggesting that some of the winnings go to the ALS charity!;
Carolyn Hax: I know. I thought about it, believe me, but decided it's not all about me. (Though if people felt moved to adopt that as their random act of kindness, I will send beams of warm and happy thoughts in their general direction(s).)
Iowa: How do you go about finding a marriage counselor? I don't know anyone who has gone to one (that talks about it, anyway).
Carolyn Hax: It's like finding anything--sometimes you have to follow a trail of clues. You can ask friends, if you're not worried how it'll appear. It could be they have good ideas/leads and simply aren't offering them up unsolicited while they're milling around the crab dip. If you don't want to talk about it with friends, you start by asking people whose profession gives them access to this kind of info and whose discretion is professionally mandated--your regular doctor, a clergy person come to mind. If that's a dead-end, call one of the professional associations that governs marriage counselors (www.aamft.org, www.apa.org to name two). Or, if you know counselors in a different field, ask them if they have people to whom they commonly send their patients for marriage counseling.
Re: chemistry and attraction: Aren't they the same? Anyway, I'd like to know if people can actually "grow" to love someone even if there is no chemistry or strong attraction at first?
Carolyn Hax: If you mean physical, then, yes, that can come later as you become attracted to the everything-other-than-physical person. (It can also still not happen, oh well.) I'm not sure though that any love or attraction or whatever is going to grow with someone whose company you fundamentally don't enjoy.
Just because I love to understand the logistics....: When you do these chats you are at home? (the babysitter/meltdown comment). I thought you were at The Washington Post. But someone is AT the Post monitoring? I need a visual!
Love these chats, btw. I never miss them!
With rare exceptions, I chat from home. There's a producer at washingtonpost.com sending me questions. Vive l'Internet ...
At the expense of the visual, I'm afraid. It was more fun back in '98 when I went to post.com offices to do these and we'd be shouting to each other over our monitors.
Re: Iowa: If your medical health insurance company covers mental health benefits, then they can be another source of information on marriage counselors. Many provide lists of approved providers, and their areas of speciality.
Once you find a counselor, you will want to ask the provider over the phone if they cover the services you need before making an appointment.
Carolyn Hax: Good stuff, thanks.
Thanks for the ALS info: Thanks for the ALS fundraiser info!; A former colleague of mine was diagnosed this past year, has deteriorated rapidly and is in a bad place. I'm sending the link to my current colleagues with the hope that we'll (as an office) be participating to support our friend
Carolyn Hax: I hope so, and thank -you.- And I'm sorry about your colleague.
I'm also going to try to do more myself--specifically, to get down to DC to do the Walk to D'Feet ALS, Sunday Oct. 23. If I can swing the logistics, I'm going to ask the peanutty among you to join my team. Early nag warning.
Married, Ohio: Re: The boyfriend poaching neighbor.
Take my wife's advice -- tell her to go for it. If she suceeds, the boyfriend is a louse, if she fails he's a keeper.
I think you can work out what happened in our case...
Carolyn Hax: No, please explain it to me.
Hiking the trail: Why does he think he'll never do it, if he doesn't hike it before getting married? Plenty of married people do this together, or do it with a spouse's support -- and pursue various other dreams after marriage, too. I'd hate to think I couldn't do something like that now that I'm married.
Carolyn Hax: I got the impression it was the tied-down aspect of marriage--mortgage, eventual kids--and not the ball-and-chain aspect. But that could just have been my own bias. Thanks for weighing in.
Does Hiker want to be away from girlfriend for the six months? He's going to have to make food and supply stops occasionally and have towns to rest in. Maybe she can meet him someplace at month three? If he doesn't want to include her in any part of it, then dream chasing won't be a great trait later.
Just wondering if you had an opinion about the new "real women" Dove ads (besides the fact that just having people talk about them means it's good PR).
Carolyn Hax: I have an opinion on everything. But you knew that. I think they're great. I admire the models. I applaud the company (even while recognizing the cold calculations that surely are behind the campaign). I'm also discouraged that I put 5-10 lbs back on this winter after losing all my baby weight, even though I know intellectually that I'm just fine and have nothing to be discouraged about. So, I guess it's
Attention-getting, 1; Actual change, 0.
Arlington, Va.: It's me, girlfriend of the A-T hiker. We've already discussed how we'd stay connected while he's away, a combination of me meeting him on the trail (and doing some hiking/camping together) and him coming home for a few weekends in between. While this sounds feasible, we live together now and I know it'd be a huge adjustment to go from seeing each other every day to once every few weeks. That's part of my problem, I think.
Carolyn Hax: You will live. Remember, people get hit by buses, etc. Use these six months as a timely reminder that there's no such thing as a life without the occasional huge adjustment, and that the more flexible you are when one happens, the happier you'll be.
Ithaca, N.Y.: Re: boyfriend who wants to hike AT: in case she hasn't heard, most people who started hiking AT give up in less than a week. So she might see him a lot sooner than six months. Let the guy go and have his fun!
Carolyn Hax: And when he comes home early, don't laugh at him right away. Wait till he's ready to laugh at himself (or thereabouts).
Washington, D.C.: Do you think more men cheat than not?
Carolyn Hax: I believe more people don't cheat than do.
Carolyn Hax: Apologies again, I got into one of those "quick" questions and fell down a rabbit hole. Still working on it ...
Washington, D.C.: I feel that one of my closest friends is being self destructive. She is frequently sexually active with a host of partners and has used serious drugs on several occasions. Much of this stems from what I see as low self-respect and desire to suppress her true feelings. A while back, as her close friend, I would try to tell her I disapproved and thought she was being destructive, but it drove us apart. She would also defend her actions by saying that I was a prude and that among most of her friends she wasn't being that crazy. I ended up agreeing to just listen to her and not pass judgment when she tells me crazy stories about her exploits. That's left me feeling like a sell out: I feel like by just listening I'm being complicit. To make matters worse, everything I hear makes me respect her, her decision-making, and her values less and less. I love our friendship but hate her dismissiveness and constant need for the party scene. How can I navigate the role as friend when it's clear my vocal concerned objections irritate her? How do I know when its time to cut bait? And how do I broach the subject if I get there?
Carolyn Hax: Why does she have to tell you about her exploits? I know the answer, we all do, even she does, but doesn't want to admit it.
People who are self-destructive seek out others like them for permission, in a way, to be bad, so their bad behavior can feel normal. The fact that she's stayed friends with you is something, maybe enough to keep your friendship going, if that's what you want. (If you don't want, you have to cut bait.)
I don't think it's right that you have to sit there and hear these stories, though. You can and should tell her that you changed your mind, you can't be her accomplice, and therefore won't just remain silent. In return you can promise to object without preaching--or instead you can ask if she's willing to make your friendship about your friendship and not about her latest-exploit stories.
Friendships have survived differences like this, which is why her being able to remain friends with you sans tales (or not) will tell you if this is merely a difference of opinion between you or a real downward spiral for her--taking the bait-cutting out of your hands.
Carolyn Hax: Kay. I'm going. Thanks for your patience, thanks for coming, have a great weekend and type to you next week.
baby shower man: Yes, the family knows. Its not a miscaraige situation. But it hurts my wife to the core of her being. To make matters worse, she doesn't particularly like my family. I feel that she needs to go if for no other reason than to prevent years of future animosity. My family would not agree with her not going. I can't make her go. If she doesn't go, what should we tell my family so feelings won't be hurt too bad?
Carolyn Hax: She should go -because- she doesn't like your family. They know it, and will see through her no-show as the slap in the face it is. Really. As long as you choose to keep your relationship with your family, she, as the person who chose to marry you, needs to suck it up sometimes--for your sake, obviously, but also for hers, to keep an already unpleasant relationship from becoming hell with canapes.
Heidelberg, Germany: RE: the infertile baby-shower invitee. I am that woman. I am infertile (no miscarriages, thank God, but 4 long years of various treatments and no conception). I have found a middle ground for such events. Maybe I choose not to go to the shower (no sense in me hanging around the doorway, bawling or looking googly-eyed holding back tears -- makes everyone feel bad or at least awkward). But instead I do all I can to help plan the shower, send along some flowers, a home-made cake, and a loving note explaining how I wish I could be there. The thing is, I really DO wish I could be there and I really DO wish I could be happy watching someone else prepare for their bundle of joy, but I don't feel I have it in me. So I do what I can, share the love and good feelings I do have (in my own way, in my own time). Maybe that's a possibility for the folks in this case?
Carolyn Hax: An excellent alternative, thank you.
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Sherwood Baker, a sergeant in the Pennsylvania National Guard, arrived in Baghdad at the beginning of 2004, serving as a member of the military security detail for the Iraq Survey Group, which was looking for weapons of mass destruction. On April 24, 2004, Baker's unit was in Baghdad inspecting buildings when the building he was in exploded, killing him. He was 30 years old.
"When we buried my son, Sgt. Sherwood Baker, I knelt beside his coffin and vowed to him I would speak the truth for him. I believe this war is a disaster, a betrayal of the noblity of our miltary and of the democracy they are charged to protect. For the past 16 months I have been faithfully trying to keep my vow to my son," said his mother, Celeste Zappala , in an interview with washingtonpost.com.
Zappala was online Friday, Aug. 19, at 1:30 p.m. ET to discuss her reasons for opposing the war and supporting the efforts of antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan.
Oakton, Va.: Do you think that if your son had been fighting a "just" war, and he was killed, you would still support the war? Or would his death turn you against the war?
I think many people in America may doubt you because they may think you are reacting to your son's unfortunate death. I do not support this war, but while I empathize for you and your family, it is hard for your words to carry much weight given the circumstances. Do you realize this, and how do you approach/counter/deal with this?
Celeste Zappala: Thank you for asking about this idea of a just war. It has been said that a just war is the one you would be willing to send your own child to. And for those who are the architects of this war it seems their kin are not involved nor expected to be involved. I think that is very important, and that seems to have an effect on recruitment too, many parents are not encouraging their young ones to join, i see that also as a failure of support by our Nation for this war.
I, as a very committed religious person, have always tried to practise non-violence and taught this principle to my kids, I also tried to teach them service- to whom much is given much is asked- so when my son joined the national guard I was worried for him, but not surprised - he was the kind of person you would turn to for help and protection.
What i find appaling in all of this is that the noble spirit and lives of our troops are so casually spent. It is evident this was a war of choice, supported by great stretches of logic and fact, if not out right fabrication, is that a justification or a definition of a just war , no.
war is a failure of human behavior, if war is a tactic it should be the last resort, i always thought that was a guding principle of our country
Maryland: It sounds like Cindy Sheehan is going beyond her original reasons for protest and is now letting other people and groups dictate her agenda. Shouldn't she be more focused on her original motives?
Celeste Zappala: Cindy is my friend and we with a few others are co-founders of Gold Star Families for Peace, we have been working- speaking- writing- pleading about the war for more that a year. Cindy would like to meet with the president and ask her questions, but she, I and all of us are most interested and desperately want to end the war and bring our troops home now and take care of them when they get home.
others have joined us, supported us,. stood with us, we are grateful for the support, our message has not changed.
this is about ending the war
Washington, D.C.: Mrs. Zappala, I am very sorry for your loss and I understand your frustration with a war in which your son lost his life. Are you still affiliated with Gov. Ed Rendell's office in Pennsylvania? I know that the governor, as a Democrat, and the president, as a Republicn, do not see eye to eye on the war in Iraq.
Celeste Zappala: Yes I worked fior the Governor when he was Mayor and have great respect for him, I do not speak for him, but I was grateful that he attended my son's funeral, helped to pass legislation to assure that the children of fallen guards men could go to college in Pennsylvania. I think he is a compasisonate person
i have never met the President
Easton, Md.: Why don't more families speak up? Do they really believe that this war is worth their sacrifices? I've been stunned by how supportive the military families have been in the last year. I deeply regret the loss of your son. Recently I've asked why I should continue to care about service people dying in Iraq when so many of their own families seem to think it's a worthy cause. I'll don't think it's a worthy cause, but I wonder why I'm so bothered by developments when the military families keep singing the praises of this war. Can you shed some light on this for me?
Celeste Zappala: there is a whole spectrum of thought and feeling of military families, i do not doubt that some people are reluctant to say anything because they fear retaliaiton to their loved one serving, for those serving they may not want their families to know about their own doubts and fears,
understand please that it is agony to have your beloved one away in danger, the phone ringing is a threat, the unexpected knock at the door is terrifying,
so many remain silent with the prayer that their person will just come home whole, soon
for others - they are supportive of the warrior, perhaps not the war, and no doubt there are families who fully agree with the war
I respect the service of all the military folks, we need a military, the adminsitration shoul dtreat them with repect, not lip service
do you know families have to buy equipment fo r their deploying sodliers? that still not all the humvees are uparmored, that contractors in the privitization of the war make 10 times the soldiers pay- something is very wrong here,
but many families just live in silent fear
Reston, Va.: I agree that the war has 'been a disaster' from elements of planning, preparation, and reason. But I'm of the opinion that 'we broke it, we bought it'. Pulling our forces out of Iraq would seemingly create an even bigger disaster. Who would run that country? Would it disolve into a state similar to that of Somalia (another place that we've left behind in worse shape)?
Is saving the American lives by pulling out worth the thousands (if not millions) of Iraqis that may be killed in the void?
How do you propose that we fix things?
Celeste Zappala: i think that having an honest policy would move us a long way, How can we trust those who stretched the truth, refused to listen to correct infomration, trashed their critics - why are they still making decisions?
there are many iraqs who have asked us to leave, many people on the ground think that our presence is inflamatory, and i think it is true we are making enemies faster thanwe can kill them, harsh as that may sound
we should remember that iraq is a 6000 year old civilizaiton, with educated people who have a right to their own resources, and yes we have serious responsiblity to that country, but why are we bui.lding permanent bases? why did we want on denaitonaliz the oil production?
is it time to listen to others who have ideas about exit strategy? shouldn't we insist that Congress talk about an exit strategy and be leaders? why should we continue a disaterous war to prevent "further disater"
we all as a nation have to have this conversation, its OUR war.
Woodstock Ga.: No questions. I was in the Gulf Of Tonkin thirty years ago. I found the reasoning for that war to be as big a lie as this one. I am glad to see a peace movment start. I support it and you fully.
Celeste Zappala: thank you, there are many vets for peace in the movement who remember the same lessons you learned.
thanks you for your service
Please accept my deepest condolences on the loss of your son.
My question has to do with media coverage of the antiwar movement. In view of the media's less-than-thorough vetting of the WMD claims advanced to justify the war, and their practice of embedding their reporters with military units, do you think the media is still capable of covering the antiwar movement fairly? How are you adjusting to being in the public eye?
Celeste Zappala: We families have been speaking out since the war started, it has been difficult to capture the media's attention and I do fault the main stream media for just accepting the pretense for war and not being willing to ask the terrible questions that should have been answered before we invaded.
the public spot light is difficult to handle, it is exhausting and remember none of us are pforessionals- we are not the pundits of the sunday talk shows, we are just oprdinary people, moslty middle aged woman who have lost their kids and know it weas wrong.
our message may be unpolished and shakey sometimes, our truth is real, i think the reporters for the most part that are doing the stories forom crawford are respectful and curious,- yes i think they can do a good job, they are professionals and intelligent, and i think many feel they were wrong to not have questioned earlier
just wish they had listened when the american death count was 720- now we aqre at 1862
that is what really is important
Lusby, Md.: When your son volunteered did you believe that he may never seem harm's way? When you stand and take the oath you are pledging to support and defend and follow the orders of those appointed above you. You may not agree with national policy but your son did by raising his hand. I just retired from 21 years of active duty and have several years of time in combat zones so I am qualified to comment.
Celeste Zappala: you are more than qualified to comment. My son was honorable - a 20 year old national guards man, who siad to us "I took an oath before God, I will go and do the job and bring myself and my men home safely, his men returned, he did not.
I do not believe that just because a person has the job of president that his word, motives and decisions shluld be taken without question, that surely is not a democarcy, my son did his job, he was betrayed by an administreation that has not done theirs well.
the only title greater than president is citizen
thank you for being a citizen.
Anonymous: How is serving in Iraq a betrayal of the American democracy?
Celeste Zappala: the decision to go in to this war, defy the facts, throw away the intelligence, ignore the advice of military leaders, and trash the advice of the whole world, in my mind is a betrayal of our military.
service to our country is noble, people give service in many ways, and i wish everyone felt that unselfish service to their country was important.
Washington, D.C.: Dear Celeste, I'm very grateful for you and Cindy for making your concerns public. This past Wednesday, Fred Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute said that he thought U.S. soldiers are amply qualified to build democracy in Iraq (rather than simply fighting Saddam's forces), and he listed a whole laundry list of nation-building tasks for our forces. Do you have any idea how Sherwood or his buddies would have felt about that mission?
Celeste Zappala: My son was assigned to the iraq survey group, they were still looking for the weapons of mass destruciton long after everyone knew they were not here, a month after the President made a great joke out of looking under his desk and asking "where are those weapons"
no laughs from me, or so many who are lost in this sad misadventure.
Sher went to try to do good things, that's who he was, thas how he lived his life, he was a caseworker for mentally challenged adults, the best most families had ever had, he was a great father, volunteered at community events, he should have had 50 more years to build this country.
so do i know what he would have thought? its hard to say, he did his job as asked, i hear form so many returning vets about the futility of what is happening now, perhaps we should be asking them all more quesitons and listening!
Woodbridge, Va.: Mrs. Zappala -- As a proud member of a military family, I must respectfully disagree with your views. Whether you (or Ms. Sheehan) or any of us believe that this is a "just" war is irrelevant. Our soldiers are there now -- it was their choice to sign up and their duty to go. There are stories every day of men who have been wounded in this "disaster" of a war who choose to return to fight -- for comrades, for the cause, for many reasons. What right do you or I have to take that choice away from them? What right do we have to dishonor the memories of those who have fought and died by, in essence, calling this war a colossal waste of time that should be ended as quickly and injudiciously as possible? Didn't we do that thirty years ago?
It seems to me a far better tribute to leave a legacy of success to the fallen than failure.
Celeste Zappala: with deep respect
- the military leadership have said there is no military solution, there will be a political solution.
i say the things i say because i love my country and am trying to speak the truth as i see it, I try to speak with humility, I do not want to be on this path, but I am on it.
I am grateful that you and others here are wililng to be in dialogue, this is what our nation needs to do if we are ever going to figure out how to get to Peace.
Dale City, Va.: I am so sorry for your loss. When did your son join the military? I think many of those in Iraq joined in response to the attack of 911 because they felt they could make a difference. However, Iraq was not invaded because of 911 no matter how many times the Administration has tried to say otherwise. Do you feel we may have done a better job in Afghanistan if we had not detoured to Iraq?
Celeste Zappala: He jioned tha national guard in 1997, and told us, don't worry the national guard does not go to forgein wars, theyare here to protect the homeland, agaisnt fires and floods and disters. and he would alwasy tell me Mom don't worry no one from the PA national guard has been killed in combat since 1945- he became the first.
sadly, i think our nation is still in great danger, osama is still free, other countries hav exoerienced attacks, suppose the resources of our country had been used to capture those responsible for 911? where would we be now?
these are hard questions, and what are we not paying attention to right now that will harm us in the future because we are immersed in this war of choice?
it makes me weep for the nation
Pittsburgh, Pa.: My husband, an Army reservist, made it home in one piece from Iraq. Every day I wake up and wonder if this will be the day he is recalled to lay down his life for the Islamic Republic of Iraq. I am so very sorry for your loss and I am thrilled that you and Cindy Sheehan are in Crawford highlighting how much the military families have been asked to sacrifice while everyone else gets on with their lives. Thank you for what you are doing.
Celeste Zappala: i am grateful too that he got back whole.
i ask this quesiton to people all the itme, what is the sacrifice required by all americans? so many people ignore the war, and so many who criticize us for speaking out cound go themselves if they believed in it, or could send the young ones they hold dear.
this is everyone's war, everyone needs to solve it- for some of us there can nevetr be a "going on" we will forever relive the day we learned our prayers would not be answered
Dale City, Va.: What do you think about the possiblity that women may lose what little freedom they had before we invaded under the constitution now being drafted? I think the women who were liberated from the Taliban regime could provide some real insight into what life may become for them in a theocracy. Is that really what Americans are being asked to die for?
Celeste Zappala: women's rights are surely a gret concern to many of the political facitons in Iraq, butwhat comporimises will be made to satisfy a cobbled government.
it is a sad sad realization taht probalby women will end up being less free in Iraq.
Washington, D.C.: Good afternoon Celeste,
First let me say. My prayers go out to you, your family, and all the fallen soldiers of this war. You are very brave for the stance that you've taken.
What do you think about the backlash that Ms. Sheehan is enduring from pro-Bush suporters?
What, if any backlash have you had to endure because of your antiwar stance?
Celeste Zappala: My family and I made alist of all the people who spoke out against this administration and then were trashed and belittled. It was a long list.
Cindy is suffering - people will say terrible things, she will be misquoted maybe i will be too, but nothing changes the fact that our kids are dead, or that as we did this disucsiion some one else died in Iraq, and that we - all of us have a responsiblity to step up and try to end this war.
we will keep doing it to honor the vows we made to our children, we will do it to protect other peoples kids and loved ones
and as to what would my son think of what i am doing?
I think he would expect no less of me.
Celeste Zappala: thank you to everyone who participated today, I appreciated hearing your thoughts and queastions, and for your warm support.
For those who disagree I thank you too for the chance to be in civil dialogue, I love my country, I know you do to, may we be guided by our best instincts and faith to get to Peace.
I believe we honor our heros by BEING the Democracy.
Peace be with you, Celeste Zappala
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.
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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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Abramoff Indicted in Casino Boat Purchase
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MIAMI, Aug. 11 -- Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and a business partner were indicted by a federal grand jury in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, charged with five counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy in their purchase of a fleet of Florida gambling boats from a businessman who was later killed in a gangland-style hit.
Abramoff, 46, was arrested in Los Angeles in the late afternoon and was expected to be taken before a U.S. magistrate there on Friday. He was indicted along with Adam Kidan, the former owner of the Dial-a-Mattress franchise in Washington. Kidan, 41, of New York City, will surrender to the FBI here by Friday morning, his attorney, Martin I. Jaffe, said in a written statement.
Five years ago, while he was still one of the capital's most prominent Republican lobbyists, Abramoff, with Kidan and former Reagan administration official Ben Waldman of Springfield, Va., took over SunCruz Casinos. The company operated a fleet of gambling boats from as many as 11 ports in Florida. Although the indictment does not detail the effort, Abramoff leveraged his connections with members of Congress to advance the SunCruz deal, according to interviews and thousands of documents, court records and e-mails filed in related bankruptcy cases.
Abramoff's spokesman in New York, Andrew Blum, declined to comment, referring calls to Abramoff's Miami attorney, Neal Sonnett, who did not return calls. Kidan said in a statement that he had cooperated with investigators, adding: "I did nothing wrong and these allegations are totally unfounded."
Each of the six counts in the indictment could bring a punishment of as much as five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Federal authorities are also seeking $60 million from Abramoff and Kidan, the money lost by a lender they had sought out to help finance the casino ships' purchase.
The indictment marks the first formal charges against Abramoff, who has been at the center of a Washington controversy this year involving the large sums of money he collected from Indian casino interests and the influence he exerted on their behalf.
Abramoff and Kidan are accused of faking a wire transfer of $23 million, the equity they had agreed to put into the $147.5 million purchase of SunCruz from Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis, the multimillionaire founder of the popular Miami Subs chain of sandwich shops. The wire transfer, said R. Alexander Acosta, the U.S. attorney here, "was counterfeit."
"The defendants never transferred the funds and never made a cash equity contribution toward the purchase of SunCruz," Acosta said.
As part of the fraud, Abramoff and Kidan lied on their personal financial disclosure statements, the indictment alleges. The two also used money borrowed from individuals, which they called "flash funds," to lead "potential lenders to believe [they] had the necessary funding to complete the sale of SunCruz," the indictment alleges. In reality, they did not have those funds, according to the indictment.
"Abramoff and Kidan did not put any of their own money into this deal," said Timothy J. Delaney, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Miami office.
After the sale, Boulis retained a piece of the business, but relations among the partners quickly soured, according to lawsuits and bankruptcy records. Boulis accused Kidan of maintaining connections to organized crime, and he and Kidan came to blows during a business meeting.
On Feb. 6, 2001, Boulis was killed as he drove home from a business meeting by someone in a Mustang who fired three hollow-point bullets into his chest. No one has been arrested in the slaying.
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Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff is indicted as part of a wide-ranging fraud case stemming from the purchase of a Florida casino cruise line from a businessman later murdered in Fort Lauderdale.
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FEC Faults Accounting at DeLay's PAC
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The Federal Election Commission criticized a political fund chaired by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) for misstating accounts and failing to report debts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The watchdog agency issued its findings after auditing DeLay's Americans for a Republican Majority PAC (ARMPAC) for 2001 and 2002. ARMPAC is one of a growing number of "leadership" PACs, through which members of Congress provide financing and electoral assistance to other candidates for office.
The agency did not take disciplinary action against DeLay or ARMPAC. But its report said that the commission might in the future penalize the fund, an act that usually involves a fine.
Campaign finance experts said that the findings, although not insignificant, do not appear to involve flagrant breaches of law.
"There's certainly a lack of attention to detail and poor accounting practices here, but these sorts of things are common in political accounts," said Kent Cooper, co-founder of PoliticalMoneyLine, a campaign finance research Web site.
ARMPAC's accounting problems came during the 2002 election cycle, when it raised and spent more than $3.6 million. Since 1999, several thousand individual and corporate contributors have given more than $13 million to ARMPAC and it, in turn, has spent millions to help Republicans win elections.
A lawyer for ARMPAC, Donald F. McGahn II, played down the importance of the audit.
"It didn't disclose any substantive violations of election laws; instead, it's essentially accounting issues of a technical nature based on FEC accounting minutiae," McGahn said.
He characterized the report as "relatively clean" and predicted that if ARMPAC is fined, "it's not going to be a significant penalty."
Democrats and liberal groups lambasted DeLay for the infractions. "When it comes to federal elections law, Tom DeLay and his special-interest friends live by one set of rules, and everyone else lives by a very different set," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
The audit said that ARMPAC made "material" misstatements about its donations, cash on hand and disbursements. The discrepancies, which have been corrected, totaled more than $100,000.
Auditors also said they had trouble examining the accounts because about 28 percent of contributor checks and a third of expense paperwork such as invoices were missing.
ARMPAC failed to properly disclose debts totaling $322,306 that it owed to 25 vendors, the report said. McGahn said that the vendors were paid on time and that the fund amended disclosure documents to comply with the auditors' criticisms.
DeLay's fund also spent $203,483 from a non-federal account -- which contained money relatively easy to raise in large chunks -- that should have come from an account governed by tighter federal laws, which make the money harder to collect in such sizable amounts.
ARMPAC has been repaying the non-federal account with the harder-to-raise funds and has amended disclosure statements to reflect the changes, the audit said.
The political action committee used the "soft money" to pay for fundraising events in California, Florida and Puerto Rico, as well as for administrative expenses and voter-mobilization drives, the audit said.
A separate fund created by DeLay and some aides, Texans for a Republican Majority, is facing strong scrutiny in Texas.
Staff writer R. Jeffrey Smith contributed to this report.
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Latest politics news headlines from Washington DC. Follow 2004 elections, campaigns, Democrats, Republicans, political cartoons, opinions from The Washington Post. Features government policy, government tech, political analysis and reports.
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If you don't read AdAge, you should.
It's a de facto bible for advertising professionals, but even if the jargon handicaps you a bit, you'll find no better source of dispassionate news that explains the motives of the people who spend billions of dollars to "help" us spend our money.
Here's something on the AdAge Web site that caught my attention: On Thursday, one of its articles posed a question that is relevant to anyone who uses the Internet to buy, sell or consume: "Is it safe to advertise in places on the Internet that are essentially run by consumers and cannot be controlled?"
This is an essential question for an industry that every couple of years -- based purely on my anecdotal observation -- works overtime to produce a semblance of spontaneity in its pitches. Many consumers react better to something that doesn't reek of being run before a million test audiences and hashed into oatmeal in a thousand boardrooms -- our frequent patronage of Target notwithstanding.
But runaway Internet success often happens by accident. Some no-name Web site drops a bomb on us and suddenly something is on everyone's lips. The solution, of course, is to try to ape that success. Unfortunately, the potential for embarrassment and failure loom large. AdAge offered two case studies up high in the story:
"Recently, Yahoo was sued by the parents of a boy who charged his picture was posted on a site by a pedophile in a user-run Yahoo chat room, and State Farm, PepsiCo and Georgia-Pacific pulled their ads. The Los Angeles Times had to shut down a reader-generated comment 'wikitorial' feature after child pornography and obscenity were posted. Yahoo closed its user-generated chat rooms (although the Yahoo-sponsored rooms are still open), but the scandals have brought advertisers face-to-face with their fears."
And here is the crux of the advertisers' dilemma: "How can they protect themselves and their good names when blog and chat-room users are liable to say and post anything? It's not just pornography or off-color language that worries them. What if consumers got angry about something involving a marketer's brand, and their remarks got linked to across the Internet? Maybe advertising in such open spaces is not worth the risk."
It ought to be worth it. Online criticism is the best form of customer feedback, and to pull advertising or muzzle the source amounts to ignoring the buyer. It's about accountability -- I see that kind of scenario as a summons to improve something that might not work right.
There are plenty of people out there who are born complainers, but plenty of the criticisms directed at the corporations who depend on our hard-earned dollars are deserved. It should be highlighted and met with a response appropriate to the customer's gripe. Advertisers might find that the Internet leads to better brand and product trust if they could take online complaints and respond to them by improving their product or their customer service instead of pulling their ads and going elsewhere.
"Yes, Robert, and if we all show up at a couple of rock concerts and do as Bono does, we'd end world poverty." My vaguely utopian rambling doesn't exactly mesh with what the experts are saying, according to AdAge:
"It's a really good idea for an advertiser to monitor the tenor and the tone of any site he buys media on, said Pete Blackshaw, chief marketing officer and customer satisfaction officer of customer research firm Intelliseek. 'Companies need to be tuned into the good, the bad and the ugly,' he said. 'It's amazing how many companies have no idea about all the bad things that consumers say about them -- really vicious.' He suggested that public sites could have a registration process for which consumers would need to be approved; anonymous postings would not be allowed. And, if a consumer steps over the line, 'perhaps there could be a system to vote them off the island.'"
Call me crazy, but as more blog sites, chatrooms and public online venues take on advertising to stay live, spontaneity and honest speech will be the first contestants voted off the island.
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Advertisers might find that the Internet leads to better brand and product trust if they could take online gripes and respond to them positively instead of pulling their ads to muzzle the complaints.
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From Freedom to Stability, More than a Leap of Faith for Central America
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At age 13, Erlan Colindres has been in and out of jail more often than most kids his age have been to summer camp. The alleged leader of the Honduran gang Los Puchos and member of the internationally feared Mara 18 has been linked to 17 murders and detained six times in the last three years. Five times he has escaped, not once has he been tried.
Two weeks ago, Colindres was arrested again in connection with the death of Michael Timothy Markey, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent shot twice while touring a popular basilica outside Tegucigalpa. It only took until Sunday night for Colindres to escape temporary detention -- although this time, according to The Associated Press, authorities nabbed him trying to hitch a ride four miles away, handcuffs still hanging from one of his wrists.
Murder freely wrought by youth gang members such as Colindres is matched only by the mayhem of organized criminals who find Central America a convenient transit point to smuggle drugs and people north and arms and cash south. They act with impunity and manipulate regional judicial systems with ease.
Under pressure to deal with the insecurity, governments in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala have adopted a mano dura (tough hand) with gangs, arresting youths even if only under suspicion of belonging to one of the maras. At a regional security summit in June, Central American leaders also laid out plans to create a fast-response special forces unit to confront gang violence, drug trafficking, terrorism or other forms of organized crime. Central American officials expect Washington to help finance the unit, considering that U.S. drug consumption and increased U.S. deportations of gang members fuel the security problem.
Indeed, to respond to increased gang violence, U.S. authorities have launched a nationwide crackdown to round up and deport illegal immigrants tied to gangs. More than 1,000 have been arrested since March. More than 200 have been charged and await trial, according to the Department of Homeland Security, and more than 700 have been deported or are in removal proceedings. The differences in the U.S. and in the Central American approaches, of course, are in the effectiveness of the judicial systems.
As Colindres' case makes clear, capture is not enough. Central American authorities must be able to hold and try suspects too. Yet the revolving door that Colindres has exploited in Honduras is just one gaping hole, albeit a large one, in a judicial system that looks more like Swiss cheese.
Honduras, like its Central American neighbors, lacks trained prosecutors and judges to bring cases against the growing number of accused. It also lacks resources to protect officers of the courts as they do their work. Judges and prosecutors in Central America are being murdered often enough for leaders to express fear that the region could "Colombianize."
Among those raising the alarm is the regionally popular Honduran Archbishop Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga. Rodriguez has been demanding that Honduran authorities do more to counter the proliferation of organized crime. He is convinced that drug trafficking and its related criminal activities are the biggest threat to the hard-earned peace in the region. His denunciations have already earned him a threat against his life.
Guatemalan President Oscar Berger has been even more direct, saying that Guatemala is "in the worst era of violence since the war.'' And longtime Salvadoran analyst Leonel Gomez Vides believes that the left-right confrontation of 20 years ago has been replaced by a confrontation between organized crime and the rest of society.
They appear to be far more pessimistic than U.S. officials. Earlier this month President Bush triumphantly celebrated Central America's success, promising that the Central American-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement he was signing that day would only help further such progress. Freer societies brought about by agreements such as CAFTA, he said, will help "eliminate the lawlessness and instability that terrorists and criminals and drug traffickers feed on.''
Yet free trade won't be enough to create stability in Central America. A free flow of goods and services won't wipe away gang warfare or eliminate organized crime. In fact, if anything, transnational criminal activities would seem to thrive in a more open borders arrangement. And even more to the point, it is hard to think that many new U.S. investors will flock to the region as long as its security situation is what it is today.
This seems precisely the right time to recognize that for all the promises made, there are great challenges still ahead for the new trade partners.
Marcela Sanchez's e-mail address is desdewash@washpost.com.
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At age 13, Erlan Colindres has been in and out of jail more often than most kids his age have been to summer camp. The alleged leader of the Honduran gang Los Puchos and member of the internationally feared Mara 18 has been linked to 17 murders and detained six times in the last three years. Five times he has escaped, not once has he been tried.
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Cable Can't Get Beyond the Pale
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The pathological cable news obsession with young, attractive white women who unfortunately vanish continues unabated. Yes, the nation is still transfixed by Damsels in Distress -- only now it's gotten worse: The media are suddenly obsessed with their own obsession.
Won't somebody please just make it stop?
How silly of me; of course no one is going to make it stop. Certainly not Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren, who's spent so much time in Aruba looking for blond, missing Natalee Holloway that she probably qualifies for a Dutch passport. Leaving no stone or sand dollar unturned, Van Susteren has ridden this sad little story to her best Nielsen ratings ever. Hey, who cares about Iraq? They're draining the pond! They're digging in the landfill!
At least Van Susteren is upfront about why she sticks with the story. "I'm always happy when the viewers are happy," Van Susteren told the Associated Press. "I obviously don't program for the people in the newsroom or my friends or the people I went to law school with. I program for the viewers."
On the other hand, fellow passengers on the Damsels bandwagon -- CNN, MSNBC, and, to a lesser extent, the broadcast networks and the major newspapers -- are so eager to display their high-minded earnestness that they've been running stories about "the phenomenon" of missing-white-woman coverage. They act as if said coverage were a natural disaster, like an earthquake or a tornado, rather than a series of deliberate decisions made by executive producers and editors in chief.
Meanwhile, the case of Latoyia Figueroa, a pregnant 24-year-old woman of color missing in Philadelphia, is being used as a kind of make-up call. You know what a make-up call is: When a referee in the NBA calls a foul on one team and then the replay shows it wasn't really a foul at all, he quickly calls a cheap foul on the other team as a way to even the score.
In this case, the replay showed that the number of missing women of color who had received the full 24-7 Damsels treatment was precisely zero. So, nagged by a persistent blogger, the cable networks grudgingly devoted a couple of days to Figueroa. Then they dashed back to Aruba and breathlessly reported the latest "developments" in the Holloway case.
Never mind that there haven't been any real developments. The same guy's been in jail for weeks, and the crack Aruban authorities still can't even say that a crime has been committed, much less by whom. People aren't watching this story to follow an unfolding mystery, because it refuses to unfold. There must be another reason why producers and viewers love it so.
Does the whole Damsels thing result from a lack of diversity in television newsrooms? Maybe in part, but I don't think that can be the only answer. Television newsrooms are generally more diverse than newspaper staffs, so if lack of diversity were the only reason, you'd expect newspapers to be leading the Damsels charge. But newspapers aren't opening ad hoc bureaus in Aruba; cable networks are.
That leaves one other possibility: Cable television executives, producers and anchors have decided that viewers will stay glued to the set to hear endlessly about young, photogenic, missing women -- but only if they're white.
This country has made undeniable progress against racism in my lifetime, but the Damsels coverage suggests to me that on some visceral level people of color are still seen as The Other. It suggests that for some reason, many Americans can become emotionally involved with the travails of a distraught family that happens to be white, but not a family of color.
That's despite the fact that in the two most populous states in the nation, California and Texas, minorities now form the majority; the same will soon be true of the third and fourth most populous, New York and Florida. The nation as a whole is one-third minority. At this point, no one can think of black, brown and yellow people as rare or exotic. So why do we seem to be missing from the majority's national self-image?
I've heard the blanket coverage of the Holloway story defended on the grounds that the scenario -- a beautiful young daughter vanishes on a class trip to the Caribbean -- is "every parent's nightmare." But then is Latoyia Figueroa's disappearance nothing more than "every black and/or Latino parent's nightmare"? Would it be different if she were rich?
Or is her ethno-specific name the stumbling block? Could she be a proper Damsel if her name were not Latoyia but Jennifer? Or Jessica? Or Laci?
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The pathological cable news obsession with young, attractive white women who unfortunately vanish continues unabated. Yes, the nation is still transfixed by Damsels in Distress -- only now it's gotten worse: The media are suddenly obsessed with their own obsession.
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The New Ernie Pyles: Sgtlizzie and 67cshdocs
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BAGHDAD -- There were no reporters riding shotgun on the highway north of Baghdad when a roadside bomb sent Sgt. Elizabeth Le Bel's Humvee lurching into a concrete barrier. The Army released a three-sentence statement about the incident in which her driver, a fellow soldier, was killed. Most news stories that day noted it briefly.
But a vivid account of the attack appeared on the Internet within hours of the Dec. 4 crash. Unable to sleep after arriving at the hospital, Le Bel hobbled to a computer and typed 1,000 words of what she called "my little war story" into her Web log, or blog, titled "Life in this Girl's Army," at http://www.sgtlizzie.blogspot.com/ .
"I started to scream bloody murder, and one of the other females on the convoy came over, grabbed my hand and started to calm me down. She held onto me, allowing me to place my leg on her shoulder as it was hanging free," Le Bel wrote. "I thought that my face had been blown off, so I made the remark that I wouldn't be pretty again LOL. Of course the medics all rushed with reassurance which was quite amusing as I know what I look like now and I don't even want to think about what I looked like then."
Since the 1850s, when a London Times reporter was sent to chronicle the Crimean War, journalists have generally provided the most immediate first-hand depictions of major conflicts. But in Iraq, service members themselves are delivering real-time dispatches -- in their own words -- often to an audience of thousands through postings to their blogs.
"I was able to jot a few lines in every day, and it just grew from there," Le Bel, 24, of Haverhill, Mass., said in an e-mail. Her Web site has received about 45,000 hits since she started it a year ago.
At least 200 active-duty soldiers currently keep blogs. Only about a dozen blogs were in existence two years ago when the U.S. invaded Iraq, according to "The Mudville Gazette" ( http://www.mudvillegazette.com/ ), a clearinghouse of information on military blogging administered by an Army veteran who goes by the screen name Greyhawk.
Written in the casual, sometimes profane language of the barracks, the entries give readers an unfiltered perspective on combat largely unavailable elsewhere. But they are also drawing new scrutiny and regulation from commanders concerned they could compromise security
In April, Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, the top tactical commander in Iraq, published the military's first policy memorandum on Web sites maintained by soldiers, requiring that all blogs maintained by service members in Iraq be registered. The policy also barred bloggers from publishing classified information, revealing the names of service members killed or wounded before their families could be notified, and providing accounts of incidents still under investigation.
"We don't have a problem with most of what they write, but we don't want to give away the farm," said Lt. Col. Steven Boylan, a military spokesman in Baghdad, who said such guidelines are nearly identical to those required of news organizations that cover the military.
Enforcement of the policy was left to the discretion of unit commanders. In late July, Arizona National Guard Spec. Leonard Clark became the first soldier found to have violated the new policy. He was fined $1,640 and demoted to private first class for posting what the military said was classified material on his blog.
His site has since been shut down, although much of the content has been posted elsewhere on the Internet. He did not return e-mail messages seeking comment.
His postings -- which included long entries detailing attacks against American patrols and convoys -- described his company's captain as "a glory seeker" and the battalion sergeant major as "an inhuman monster." In at least one entry, Clark, who has run for political office in Arizona several times and was widely expected to run for Senate in 2006, suggested that his fellow soldiers were becoming opposed to the U.S. mission in Iraq.
"A growing number of men here are starting to wonder why we should continue to risk our lives for this whole mess when we know that the government will probably pull out of here," he wrote on April 11.
Other soldiers have said they decided to take down their Web sites after warnings from superiors. In December, after an explosion in a soldiers' mess hall near the northern city of Mosul killed 22 people, including 14 U.S. soldiers, Maj. Michael Cohen, the doctor on duty at the nearest medical facility, wrote about the carnage on his blog, http://www.67cshdocs.com/ :
"As I stepped outside, I couldn't believe what was going on. There had to be at least 30 patients on the ground waiting for medical care. We divided and conquered, going from patient to patient trying to determine who had the worst wounds and who needed to be treated first," he wrote. "We identified several patients with femur fractures as well as two humerus fractures. We also had two patients who were paralyzed from the waste [sic] down, another with some bleeding in the brain, and two more with eye injuries."
Soon after, however, he posted this message:
"Levels above me have ordered me to shut down this website. They cite that the information contained in these pages violates several Army Regulations. I have made a decision to turn off the site."
At least one former military blogger, however, is channeling the publicity his blog earned in Iraq into a new career. Colby Buzzell, a soldier who during his 12-month tour of duty started a blog called "My War" ( http://www.cbftw.blogspot.com/ , which stands for his initials plus an antiwar epithet), was eight months into his deployment when he read a magazine article about blogs and decided to give it a try. Within weeks, he said, his blog was receiving thousands of hits a day, and literary agents began peddling their services.
"It all happened at an alarming rate, basically overnight, after I wrote about a firefight. I have no idea how the heck people found out about it, they just did," said Buzzell, who got out of the military six months ago.
His book about his time in Iraq comes out in October. He has also written two articles for Esquire magazine. Now 29 and living in Los Angeles, he called blogging from the war zone "therapeutic."
"You go out on a mission or patrol, come back and sit down at a computer, and it was kind of a release," he said in a telephone interview. "I wasn't writing for a book deal, I was writing for myself. It was a way to deal with the madness and made the days go by a little faster."
Soldiers' Web sites vary from multimedia presentations of digital photos and videos to simple text written in journal form. Many bloggers say they do it to keep friends and family up to date or to counter what they consider the biases of the mainstream media.
Many entries are deeply personal. Battered but still able to perform her duties, Le Bel returned to her unit a few days after the roadside bomb attack. She attended the memorial service for her driver, whom she never named, and shared her thoughts with the readers in a Dec. 7 posting:
"I am now deathly afraid of the nightmares I have already seen bits and pieces of. I can see them in my mind when I close my eyes, I see the truck slamming into the wall and it scares me all over again. Why did I walk away from a wreck that killed a comrade and friend?"
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Service members in Iraq are delivering real-time dispatches -- in their own words -- often to an audience of thousands through postings to their blogs.
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Trade Deficit Up As Oil Imports Hit High
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America's trade gap widened sharply in June as ever-galloping oil prices pushed petroleum imports to an all-time high.
The Commerce Department reported that the trade deficit -- the gap between what America sells abroad and what it buys -- grew more than expected in June to $58.8 billion, a jump of 6.1 percent over May. So far this year, the trade gap is running at a yearly rate of $686 billion -- 11 percent higher than last year's all-time record.
The government released the trade numbers as crude oil rose to a record for a fifth day, topping $66 a barrel. Gas prices in America were also on the rise at a time when many Americans are taking road trips in their cars for their annual summer vacations.
"The main story was oil," said Stephen Stanley, chief economist at RBS Greenwich Capital in an e-mailed commentary about the trade deficit numbers. "Volumes and prices both rose in June, so petroleum imports jumped sharply."
The trade imbalance is a political hot potato for the Bush administration. Critics are charging that the country's widening import-export chasm shows that the administration's much-trumpeted free trade policies aren't working.
The deficit with China, another politically sensitive issue, also set a record $17.6 billion in June. Already last year, America's deficit with China marked the highest imbalance ever recorded with any country, at $162 billion. And this year's gap is already running more than 30 percent over last year.
Much of the trade deterioration with China reflects a flood of clothing and textile shipments from China since the beginning of the year when global quotas expired. The administration is moving to re-impose quotas in several clothing categories after U.S. textile manufacturers complained about job losses and plant closings.
More than half of the overall trade deterioration in June reflected the nation's ever-growing foreign oil bill, which hit a record high of $19.9 billion, a 9.8 increase over May. And analysts predict the trade gap will grow even more in the coming months, as global oil prices continue a seemingly relentless climb.
The June deficit came as U.S. exports of goods and services rose to a record $106.8 billion on stepped-up sales of telecommunications equipment, aircraft engines and chemical fertilizers. Imports, however, also set a record of $165.7 billion, reflecting an increase in both the price and volume of petroleum shipments and higher imports of toys, clothing and other consumer goods.
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America's trade gap widened sharply in June as ever-galloping oil prices pushed petroleum imports to an all-time high.
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Gasoline Prices Climb Sharply, Hit New High
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District cab driver Abdulai Conteh is tired of paying more for gasoline each time he pulls up to the pump.
"It just keeps going up," said Conteh, who was paying $2.63 a gallon yesterday to fill his black taxi with premium grade gas at a BP-Amoco station at Ninth and N streets NW.
"I have to think twice now about what I'm spending money on for my family," said Conteh, whose bill came to $41. He said he paid $15 to $18 to fill his tank a few years ago.
Conteh was lucky he stopped by the station early in the afternoon -- by 5:30 p.m. the operator had raised the price of premium another 6 cents, to $2.69. The average price of premium in the Washington area yesterday was $2.614 a gallon, according a survey published by AAA.
A gallon of regular in the Washington area hit a record $2.398 on average yesterday, according to the AAA survey. That's up 27 percent from a year ago, when a gallon of regular cost $1.89 in the Washington area.
Consumers are facing further price hikes, according to AAA. The motorist group said it expects another 5 cents a gallon increase nationwide by this weekend. "That is a pretty dramatic jump given the fact that we're already at record high levels," said Mantill Williams, a spokesman for AAA.
Oil also surged to a record yesterday. U.S. benchmark crude oil for September delivery closed on the New York Mercantile Exchange at $65.80, up 90 cents.
Adjusted for inflation, oil prices peaked in 1981. Gas prices also peaked in 1981 at an inflation-adjusted $3.108, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
A number of economic observers worry that rising fuel costs will eventually slow a surging economy.
Some drivers in the District said climbing gas costs were forcing them to adjust their behavior. Shyrelle Eubanks of Kettering said she signed up for a Costco membership in order to take advantage of the discount retailer's lower gas prices. "I find I'm going out of my way to get [cheaper] gas," said Eubanks. Driving a few extra miles to fill up at Costco saves Eubanks at least 10 to 15 cents per gallon, she said.
Prices are rising as worldwide demand for oil surges, particularly in China. Oil producers have only a small cushion between demand and the amount that can be pumped from the ground. The market appears to fear that significant supply disruptions could lead to a shortage.
In recent days, analysts said, fears of violence and political disputes in the Middle East have contributed to oil price increases. The market also has reacted to refinery problems that have resulted in diminished gasoline production.
A forecast from the Energy Information Administration projects that retail gasoline prices will continue to average above $2.10 per gallon on a monthly basis through 2006. Diesel is expected to average above $2.20 every month between now and the end of 2006, according to the EIA.
That forecast assumes that oil prices will not average significantly below $55 a barrel through 2006. "Should crude oil prices drop below our forecast over the next 16 months or so, we could see retail gasoline and diesel prices drop below $2 per gallon, but absent such a dramatic drop, it does appear that retail gasoline and diesel prices will remain above $2 per gallon for the foreseeable future," according to the EIA.
Staff writer Justin Blum contributed to this report.
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District cab driver Abdulai Conteh is tired of paying more for gasoline each time he pulls up to the pump.
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The 1% Split Over Estate Taxes
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The very rich and the merely rich are fighting over the fate of the estate tax.
So far, the very rich are winning.
Small-business owners -- the merely rich -- want to exempt from taxation inheritances of up to $10 million. The very rich -- people whose estates are worth tens of millions or even billions of dollars -- want instead to reduce the tax rate on assets passed on at death. A $10 million exemption isn't nearly enough for them.
To the pleasure of the very rich, the leading compromise in the Senate would drastically lower the top rate on inherited assets -- to 15 percent from 47 percent. But, to the chagrin of the merely rich, the exemption wouldn't come close to their demands.
Small businesses are irate. "We don't think that a compromise that leaves small business at the starting gate and takes care of the rich guys is a good thing," said Donald A. Danner, executive vice president of the National Federation of Independent Business, which represents small-business owners. "Our members would be very upset."
Representatives of the very rich are much happier but are also girding for battle. "The other side is painting our people as extraordinarily rich," said John J. Motley III, senior vice president of the Food Marketing Institute, which represents many family-owned supermarket chains. "We plan our lobbying to get more intense."
This elite conflict has serious implications for average citizens as well: a sharp reduction in the estate tax would deprive the federal government of tens of billions of tax dollars each year. "Wealthy people will get tax cuts they don't need at the expense of important public services like food stamps and health care," said Matthew W. Gardner of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a liberal research group.
Only a small number of people would benefit directly from a change. Of the 2.4 million adults who died in 2003, just 28,600 left estates that were liable for any tax, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. In other words, the levy fell on the richest 1.2 percent of Americans with the highest taxable estates.
Still, thanks to lobbying by the heirs of Wal-Mart stores, Mars candies and Campbell soup, the tax is close to becoming extinct. For nearly two decades, clusters of extremely wealthy people have campaigned to get rid of the tax on inheritances. NFIB, a Republican stalwart, joined the effort in the mid-1990s, bringing with it numerous small-business and farm groups.
Pressure from those powerful groups helped persuade President Bush to call for a repeal during his campaign in 2000. But budgetary constraints allowed him only a partial victory the next year. Bush signed into law a bill that eliminated the tax for one year only -- 2010. It will pop back to life in 2011 unless Congress acts to change it.
Hence the debate. The House voted in April to abolish the tax permanently. The Senate is scheduled to take up the matter during the week of Sept. 5.
Senators and lobbyists agree there aren't enough votes for complete repeal because of how much it would cost (about $75 billion a year between 2014 and 2024) and because of procedural obstacles that Democratic opponents are expected to erect. That has spurred negotiations to find a less expensive compromise.
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The very rich and the merely rich are fighting over the fate of the estate tax.
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British Government Bars Return of Radical Islamic Cleric
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LONDON, Aug. 12 -- The government, expanding its response to Islamic extremism, on Friday banned the return to Britain of a radical cleric whose strident statements provoked public outrage following train and bus bombings last month in London.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke announced that Omar Bakri Mohammed, who has lived in the country for 20 years, is not welcome "on the grounds that his presence is not conducive to the public good."
The decision came a day after officials detained 10 foreign nationals with plans to deport them for being a "threat to national security."
Bakri, who was born in Syria, traveled last week to Lebanon, where he was detained by authorities Thursday without explanation. In Beirut, the National News Agency said Friday that a judge ordered his release because he was not wanted on any charges, the Associated Press reported.
Bakri has been the subject of angry commentary in Britain. News media quoted him as saying he would not inform police if he knew of plans for another terror attack on the United Kingdom.
An associate of Bakri, Anjem Choudary, characterized the government decision as "completely outrageous."
"This is completely predictable; it's just the final manifestation of their war on Muslims," Choudary said in an interview. "Where are all the values they say they stand for: freedom of speech, freedom of expression, the right of innocence until proven guilty?"
A Muslim group expressed satisfaction at the banning of Bakri, whose organization was singled out by Prime Minister Tony Blair late last week in a speech outlining new measures to punish those who promote or incite terrorism.
"Most Muslims are happy he's gone," said Asghar Bukhari of the Muslim Public Affairs Committee, a London-based group that advocates Muslim involvement in the democratic process rather than the use of violence. "I don't think Muslims ever bought that he was a threat to national security, but he was such a vocal pain in the backside that he increased racial tensions in the country."
Blair's proposals have ignited a debate in Britain over how to balance civil liberties and national security. Human rights activists and opposition politicians say Blair's government is going too far in response to last month's bombings, which killed 56 people, including the four presumed bombers, and injured 700 others. Police said the attacks were carried out by young Muslim men largely from the country's Pakistani and East African communities.
Although Britain has long prided itself on tolerating free speech and accepting immigrants considered undesirable by other countries, Blair said the "mood" was changing in favor of cracking down on religious leaders and others who promote or "glorify" acts of violence.
Those rounded up Thursday reportedly included Abu Qatada, a radical cleric who investigators said is closely tied to the al Qaeda terror network. Clarke said Thursday that a new agreement with Jordan, Qatada's home country, provided assurances that deportees would not be tortured or mistreated, allowing British officials to deport him there without violating British human rights laws.
Lord Falconer, Britain's highest-ranking judicial official, said Friday that the government was considering legislation that would require government officials and the courts to weigh both human rights and national security concerns in deportation cases.
"We've got to get the right balance," Falconer told the "Today" program on BBC Radio 4. "Nobody suggests for one moment that that would remove from the judges any degree of discretion in determining individual cases."
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LONDON, Aug. 12 -- The government, expanding its response to Islamic extremism, on Friday banned the return to Britain of a radical cleric whose strident statements provoked public outrage following train and bus bombings last month in London.
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Aging American Idol Keeps Them Crying Out for the Same
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As Neil Diamond, wearing a shiny black shirt studded with red-and-white rhinestones, pranced around the stage Wednesday night and belted out song after melodramatic song in that sonorous baritone of his, the mature women who'd flocked to nearly full MCI Center swooned.
They gazed longingly at the aging American idol and waved their arms from side to side. And when they simply couldn't hold back any longer, they shrieked, particularly upon hearing Diamond purr: "I one day woke up to find her lying beside my bed / I softly said, 'Come take me.' " The heated reaction prompted a mock-incredulous Diamond to remind the crowd: "It's only a song."
He may specialize in grandiloquent songs with lyrics that tend to be either idealistic or lugubrious, but he's still got some semblance of a sense of humor.
Neil Diamond remains one of the more polarizing figures in pop music, a man whose artistic legacy is a source of considerable debate. His music has been dismissed by more than a few critics as pablum, even as he has received a lifetime achievement award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and is pushed annually as a candidate for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner.
Rick Rubin has cast his vote, too. The mercurial producer (who, among other things, made Johnny Cash matter again) has come down on the side of Neil Diamond, Significant Artist: Adding to a résumé that ranges from Run-DMC and Weezer to Red Hot Chili Peppers and System of a Down, Rubin is producing Diamond's new, as yet untitled, album due out in November.
But perhaps the singer-songwriter's biggest fans remain the ladies -- even if, at 64, he's inching dangerously close to Sam Donaldson doppelganger territory.
They adore him so much that, after the two-hour MCI Center show, which featured most of Diamond's biggest hits (among them "Sweet Caroline," "Cherry Cherry," "Holly Holy"), one female fanatic was spotted walking out of a Penn Quarter restaurant with a cup of ice in one hand . . . and a bruise on the other.
Huffed a younger woman who appeared to be the injured fan's daughter: "I told you to quit clapping."
Diamond's enormous appeal is hardly a mystery: He writes songs with basic harmonies, memorable melodies and simple lyrics, and he sings them with absolute conviction. It's a formula he has perfected since his days as a Brill Building writer, to the point that he has become one of the most successful singer-songwriters in American pop, with 50 million albums sold in the United States and so many hits that he can just about fill a top 40 by himself.
But Diamond hasn't recorded anything like a big song in more than two decades. And while that could change with the new album, it's basically irrelevant when it comes to Diamond's live shows.
Fans don't fill arenas hoping Diamond will rewrite the script that he has been using with great success all these years (which likely explains the worse-than-tepid response to the new material road-tested here Wednesday). They go because his concerts are wholesome, good-timey cultural flashbacks.
Never mind that Diamond sang about finding comfort in the bottle in "Red Red Wine," whose live reggaefied reading included an awkward rap, or that he celebrated "a store-bought woman" in "Cracklin' Rosie." When he wasn't in full-on lament mode ("You Don't Bring Me Flowers"), he was singing pseudo-gospel about believers and salvation and unrequited love and the greatness of America and, more than once, metaphorical soaring birds. The whole thing had the uplifting feel of a Promise Keepers or Women of Purpose convention, albeit one led by a hip-swiveling, arm-windmilling Brooklyn native who oozes just a teensy bit of sexy cool.
Backed by an 11-piece band and a trio of powerhouse female vocalists, Diamond closed the concert with "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show," his 1969 almost-hit in which he takes on the persona of a preacher. Standing on a pulpit and bathed in white light, he sermonized some, and then he sang just a little bit more, repeating more than once the line "pack up the babies / grab the old ladies."
Just what they were wishing for.
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Search Washington, DC area music events and venues from the Washington Post. Features DC, Virginia and Maryland entertainment listings for music news, events, reviews, clubs, and concerts. Visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/eg/section/music/ today.
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Ex-WorldCom CFO Gets 5-Year Term
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NEW YORK, Aug. 11 -- A federal judge Thursday sentenced former WorldCom Inc. finance chief Scott D. Sullivan to five years in prison for helping to direct an $11 billion accounting fraud that drove the telecommunications giant into the nation's largest bankruptcy.
U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones could have sent Sullivan away for as many as 25 years on conspiracy and fraud charges. Instead, she credited him with "extraordinary" cooperation, including seven days he spent on the witness stand earlier this year testifying against his former boss and mentor, Bernard J. Ebbers.
The sentence, two decades shorter than Ebbers's prison term, underscored the importance of Sullivan's assistance to prosecutors -- and his strained family situation.
"He was detailed, he was candid, he was an excellent witness," Jones said. "I believe his value to the prosecution is enormous."
The judge said she would recommend that Sullivan, 43, serve his time at a federal prison in Pensacola, Fla., the closest facility to his chronically ill wife and their 4-year-old daughter. The Bureau of Prisons will make the ultimate decision about where Sullivan is sent. He must report to federal authorities by Nov. 11.
In a brief statement before the judge delivered the sentence, Sullivan implored her to take into account his wife's severe diabetic condition, which he said had prompted nine emergency admissions to the hospital this year.
"I am sorry for the hurt that has been caused by my cowardly decisions," Sullivan told the judge in a firm, clear voice. He said he had slept only three hours in the past two days as the proceeding weighed on his mind.
Sullivan continued: "I stand before you today ashamed and embarrassed. I deeply regret my actions and apologize for the pain I have caused."
Caring for the couple's daughter probably will fall on Sullivan's parents, who sat in the front row of the crowded Manhattan courtroom. His mother gripped him tightly after the hour-long proceeding ended. His father, who has Parkinson's disease, hugged Sullivan.
Under federal prison rules, Sullivan could receive a 15 percent reduction in his sentence for good behavior. He also could shave several more months off the five-year prison term if he successfully completes an alcohol rehabilitation program.
Defense lawyer Irvin B. Nathan said he was "disappointed" with the sentence, but he thanked the judge for considering the 400 hours Sullivan spent helping prosecutors build a fraud case against Ebbers. Nathan, of Arnold & Porter LLP in the District, said he would not appeal.
"Without Mr. Sullivan's cooperation, Mr. Ebbers never would have been brought to justice," Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Anders said.
Earlier, Nathan presented a study indicating that half of the nation's white-collar criminals receive probation rather than prison time. But the judge said that Sullivan was an "architect" of the fraud and that some incarceration was warranted. She said Sullivan initially denied responsibility for the scheme to internal auditors and to WorldCom's board. The company has since emerged from bankruptcy as MCI Inc., headquartered in Ashburn.
Last month, the same judge sentenced Ebbers, 63, to 25 years in prison. His defense lawyers have said they will appeal, citing improper jury instructions and the judge's refusal to move the case to Mississippi, where WorldCom had been based. Defense lawyer Reid H. Weingarten also pointed out wide disparities in the sentences the judge has given former WorldCom officials.
Earlier this week, the judge sentenced former controller David F. Myers to serve one year and one day behind bars. Accounting director Buford T. Yates Jr. also received a one-year, one-day sentence.
"By any reckoning of the evidence in the case, CFO Sullivan came up with the accounting shenanigans and Controller Myers made them happen," Weingarten said in an e-mail. "At worst, according to the government's evidence, Ebbers approved them, and Ebbers receives a sentence 5 times Sullivan's and 25 times Myers. I understand that prosecutors need to encourage snitches to snitch, but these sentences simply cannot be reconciled with fairness and they create overwhelming incentives for snitches to fabricate evidence against superiors, which is exactly what happened in this case."
Sullivan got $700,000 in salary and a $10 million bonus and exercised nearly $10 million worth of WorldCom stock options in 2000, the judge said. Those proceeds are gone. Last month, Sullivan agreed to sell his 30,000-square-foot Boca Raton mansion, giving about $5 million to shareholders who lost billions when WorldCom collapsed, according to New York officials. He also will turn over $200,000 in retirement savings. Defense lawyer Nathan told the judge his client had "no assets to fall back on."
After the proceeding, Sullivan walked out of the courthouse trailed by reporters and cameramen. Sullivan crossed the intersection and descended into the Chambers Street subway station.
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NEW YORK, Aug. 11 -- A federal judge Thursday sentenced former WorldCom Inc. finance chief Scott D. Sullivan to five years in prison for helping to direct an $11 billion accounting fraud that drove the telecommunications giant into the nation's largest bankruptcy.
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Verizon Wireless Fixes Web Site Vulnerabilities
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Verizon Wireless said today that computer programming flaws in its online billing system could have allowed customers to view account information belonging to other customers, possibly exposing limited personal information about millions of people.
A spokesman for the Bedminster, N.J., company, a joint venture between Verizon Communications Corp. and Vodafone Group PLC, declined to say how many of the company's 45 million subscriber accounts were at risk. Verizon Wireless said the problem appeared to be limited to accounts for customers in the eastern United States who had signed up for its "My Account" feature.
The phone giant said it had corrected the glitch as of 2 a.m. Eastern Time today. The "My Account" feature has been available on the Verizon Wireless Web site for the past five years, though spokesman Tom Pica said the company does not yet know how long the faulty code was in place on the service.
Pica confirmed the Web site flaw allowed a user to view another subscriber's balance of remaining airtime minutes and the number of minutes that customer had used in the current billing cycle. Two other flaws could have exposed data about a customer's general location -- i.e., city and state -- and the make and model of phone the customer uses, Pica said.
There is no indication that anyone took advantage of the flaws or that any customer financial information such as Social Security or credit card account numbers was disclosed, Pica said. The flaws also did not allow access to phone numbers associated with customers' incoming and outgoing calls, and "no customer data could be manipulated and changed in any way," he said.
Pica said the company was still assessing whether it would notify customers about the situation, but he said that based on the information gathered so far Verizon Wireless does not believe any sensitive personal information was revealed.
The flaw that exposed account information was reported to Verizon Wireless by Jonathan Zdziarski, a software developer from Milledgeville, Ga., who said he discovered it while writing a computer program that would automatically query his account online and report the number of minutes he had used from his wireless plan.
Zdziarski found that by simply entering another subscriber's wireless phone number on a particular portion of the site, he could pull up some information about that person's account.
Pica said the flaws did not expose customer account balances or latest payment information. But Zdziarski provided washingtonpost.com with a screenshot showing that the vulnerabilities exposed account balances and the date of the most recent payment, a claim that Pica said the company could not confirm.
After Zdziarski's alert, Verizon Wireless technicians reviewed other portions of the company's billing system and fixed one, but the technicians disabled the feature that allowed viewing of customer location until technicians could figure out a way to secure it, according to Pica.
Zdziarski said he later conducted other tests and found that the glitch he discovered could also be exploited to transfer one customer's account to another handset, a technique known as "cloning."
The user of a cloned phone can intercept all of the victim's incoming wireless calls, and also make calls that later would be billed to the victim's account. Zdziarski said he was prevented from fully testing whether the flaw could be used to clone Verizon Wireless phones because the service that allows customers to map existing phone numbers to new handsets appeared to be offline at the time he reported the flaw.
"This was a very easy hack to do," Zdziarski said. "I'm sure if I've discovered it, then certainly your typical 'script kiddie' could figure it out."
Pica said company technicians were still trying to verify Zdziarski's phone-cloning claims.
The incident is just the latest in a string of disclosures from companies that failed to adequately secure access to their customers' personal information. One of Verizon Wireless's biggest competitors, Bellevue, Wash.-based T-Mobile International, disclosed last year that a security hole in its Web site exposed data on at least 400 customers, including a then-active Secret Service agent. Earlier this year, a group of hackers used other flaws in T-Mobile's site to break into the phones of dozens of celebrities, in an incident that exposed racy photographs and personal notes and contacts for hotel heiress and socialite Paris Hilton.
Bruce Schneier, founder of Counterpane Internet Security in Mountain View, Calif., said the type of security vulnerability that affected the Verizon Wireless site is exceedingly common and will remain so as long as companies face no legal liability when they fail to secure customer data.
"There are probably tons of other big companies who have the same problems, because this is a really common mistake," Schneier said. "But if 15 million people can sue Verizon when they make a sloppy mistake like this, then it becomes an expensive mistake. Right now the only thing that happens to Verizon is they have a somewhat bad public-relations day."
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Verizon Wireless said programming flaws in its online billing system could have allowed customers to view account information belonging to other customers, possibly exposing limited personal information about millions of people.
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Study Finds Big Gains For KIPP
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Twenty-seven KIPP charter middle schools, including one in the District, have posted "large and significant gains" beyond what is average for urban schools, according to a report by the Educational Policy Institute.
The Virginia Beach-based research organization, using data provided by the Knowledge Is Power Program, said 1,800 mostly low-income black and Hispanic fifth-graders showed gains significantly above average in reading, language and mathematics from 2003 to 2004.
It was the largest study so far of KIPP, which has 48 schools in the United States, including three in the Washington area. Some experts have cited KIPP, begun by two teachers in 1994, as an example of what disadvantaged students can achieve if given more time in smaller schools, as well as firm homework requirements and well-trained principals with the power to hire and fire teachers.
Steve Mancini, spokesman for the San Francisco-based organization, applauded the results but said, "We won't be fully satisfied until our students finally earn acceptances to college."
Statistical experts said more data on KIPP and more independent assessments are needed before any conclusions can be reached on the organization's methods. Jeffrey R. Henig, a professor of political science and education at Columbia University's Teachers College, said some scholars have suggested that KIPP fifth-graders arrive with more motivated parents and other advantages compared with their neighborhood peers. More research on whether the gains are sustainable over time also is needed, Henig added.
KIPP officials said their data show incoming students to be just as disadvantaged as other children in their neighborhoods. Test results, they said, showed that new students starting fifth grade in 2004 at the KIPP school in Southeast Washington averaged 34.1 in reading on a 99-point scale called a normal curve equivalent, compared with 46.2 for their classmates in neighboring schools.
The Educational Policy Institute study used the same scale, which is different from percentile ranks most often used to measure achievement and criticized as confusing by some experts.
Students show no growth on the 99-point scale from one year to the next if they make normal progress. Fifth-graders at the 27 KIPP schools included in the study showed an average gain of 7.5 points in reading, 9.1 in language and 11.6 in mathematics from fall 2003 to fall 2004. Educational Policy Institute President Watson Scott Swail said he hoped next to compare KIPP students with students of very similar backgrounds who attend regular schools.
The KIPP DC:KEY Academy, the first KIPP school in the Washington area, opened in 2000 and has 320 students in grades 5 through 8. It has the highest math scores in the city, though more than 80 percent of its students come from black families poor enough to qualify for federal lunch subsidies. This summer, KIPP schools opened in the District and Annapolis, and KIPP officials said there are plans for a third middle school and a high school in the District.
KIPP students are in school at least nine hours a day, compared with fewer than seven hours in regular public schools. Three weeks of summer school is mandatory. Students are urged to call teachers at home if they have questions about homework. Those who do not complete homework are disciplined. Good work and behavior are rewarded with points toward items from the student store and school trips, from which students with few points are excluded. Teachers are trained to be very active in their classrooms, involving all children in lessons and taking points off from those who do not pay attention.
Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin started the first KIPP fifth-grade program at a Houston elementary school. The 50 students' passing rate on a state test doubled in the first year.
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Twenty-seven KIPP charter middle schools, including one in the District, have posted "large and significant gains" beyond what is average for urban schools, according to a report by the Educational Policy Institute.
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Sept. 11 Panel Explores Allegations About Atta
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Staff members of the Sept. 11 commission are investigating allegations by a Republican congressman that lead hijacker Mohamed Atta had been identified as a potential threat by a highly classified Defense Department program a year or more before the attacks occurred.
Commission officials confirmed a report in yesterday's New York Times that two staff members interviewed a uniformed military officer, who alleged in July 2004 that a secret program called "Able Danger" had identified Atta as a potential terrorist threat in 1999 or early 2000.
Panel investigators viewed the claim as unlikely, in part because Atta was not recruited as an al Qaeda operative until a trip to Afghanistan in 2000 and did not enter the United States until June of that year, officials said.
The interview of the military officer is among several allegations made by Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), vice chairman of the Armed Services and Homeland Security committees. Weldon has sought to publicize the claims of a former defense intelligence official about the Able Danger program.
The former intelligence official -- according to interviews with Government Security News and other news organizations -- has offered a version of events that is similar to, but more expansive than, claims made by the military officer. The former intelligence official has said that he briefed Sept. 11 commission staffers on the Able Danger program during a trip in South Asia in October 2003.
The official said he told commission staff members during the trip that the program had identified Atta and three other future hijackers as part of an al Qaeda cell located in Brooklyn, N.Y., according to Weldon and news reports. The official and Weldon have also said Pentagon lawyers blocked the sharing of information on the suspected cell with the FBI or other agencies.
Commission spokesman Al Felzenberg said this week that none of the four commission staff members present during the Asia trip briefing recalls any mention of Atta or a terrorist cell. Felzenberg said the 2003 briefing focused generally on Able Danger, which officials have said relied heavily on computerized analysis of public data.
"The name 'Atta' or a terrorist cell would have gone to the top of the radar screen if it had been mentioned," he said.
Felzenberg declined to comment yesterday on the July 2004 interview with the military officer, citing a commission investigation into the allegations that could be completed as early as today. Pentagon officials have also declined to comment this week.
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Staff members of the Sept. 11 commission are investigating allegations by a Republican congressman that lead hijacker Mohamed Atta had been identified as a potential threat by a highly classified Defense Department program a year or more before the attacks occurred.
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U.S. Likely To Let Iran's President Visit U.N.
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President Bush said yesterday that the United States is likely to grant a visa to Iran's new president for the United Nations' opening session next month, even though the administration continues to probe whether Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was connected to the 1979-1981 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
The tentative decision comes as a secret U.S. intelligence report circulated within the administration yesterday said that there is so far no evidence Ahmadinejad was involved -- and that he may have opposed the takeover because of fears about the neighboring Soviet Union -- according to U.S. officials familiar with the report.
Many devout Muslims feared the former communist state, both because of its atheist ideology and because of its occupation of northern Iran during and after World War II, which sparked the first crisis at the United Nations. In a speech more than six years ago, Ahmadinejad publicly challenged the wisdom of the takeover, the report notes.
"There is relative certainty that he was not one of the actual captors," said a U.S. official familiar with the allegations, first made by at least four former hostages based on the similarity between pictures of Ahmadinejad and a bearded young captor.
All week, the State Department has been interviewing some of the 52 people held in Iran for 444 days to see whether they can provide specifics that would alter their initial assessment, State Department officials said.
The U.S. intelligence community now believes it was a case of mistaken identity. The original embassy captors also denied that Ahmadinejad played a leadership role or that they knew him at the time, even though he was a student activist during that period.
The secret report also says U.S. intelligence has found no evidence to back up assertions from Iranian dissidents that Ahmadinejad was involved in planning the assassinations of Iranian Kurdish politician Abdul-Rahman Ghassemlou and two colleagues on July 13, 1989, in Vienna. The report says there is ambiguity about the president's possible knowledge of the death of another dissident in Tehran's Evin prison, U.S. officials say.
The intelligence report is not considered final or conclusive, stressed officials, who would discuss it only on the condition of anonymity because it is classified. But it lays out all available evidence as well as the sources of claims about misadventures by Iran's president; some of the sources have their own agendas or biases, the report notes, according to U.S. officials.
"It wants to leave people as much room for debate, discussion as possible," said a senior State Department official. "Therefore, characterizing it or providing information about what we think, or believe, or where we are either prejudges or constrains discussions and decision-making. We're in the middle of this. It's not the end of the game by any means."
For now, the administration appears willing to let the Iranian president make his first trip to New York -- which would also be his first trip to the West. "We have an agreement with the United Nations to allow people to come to meet, and I suspect he will be there to meet at the United Nations," Bush told reporters at his Texas ranch. He noted the investigation of the allegations. His comments came as the United States and European allies tried to persuade Iran to resume a suspension of its nuclear program and to return to talks aimed at ensuring it does not build atomic weapons.
Ahmadinejad has had limited exposure to the outside world. At the United Nations, Secretary General Kofi Annan said he will use the mid-September U.N. opening -- expected to be attended by more than 170 world leaders -- to bring Iran's new leader into contact with his Western critics. "We will use the General Assembly to bring them together," he told Reuters.
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President Bush said yesterday that the United States is likely to grant a visa to Iran's new president for the United Nations' opening session next month, even though the administration continues to probe whether Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was connected to the 1979-1981 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in...
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Justice Department Losing Top Officials at Busy Time
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The Justice Department's second-in-command, James B. Comey, is clearing out his desk today to take a job as Lockheed Martin Corp.'s general counsel. The department's sprawling criminal division has been without a permanent chief for three months. And two other divisions covering antitrust and civil rights investigations are operating under temporary leadership.
Amid a major department reorganization, a Senate battle over the Supreme Court and an ongoing probe into the leak of a CIA operative's name, the Justice Department is stuck with vacancies in some of its most high-profile and politically sensitive jobs.
Justice officials say they are particularly concerned about the appointments for deputy attorney general and criminal division chief, which have been held up by disputes in the Senate and are unlikely to be approved until mid-September at the earliest.
The delays have resulted in a rare bout of friction between Congress and Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, who has vowed to mend frayed relations between Justice and Capitol Hill since his contentious confirmation battle early this year.
"There's a huge concern that we're sitting without confirmed leadership for this many weeks," said one senior Justice official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of ongoing negotiations over the appointments.
The candidate to replace Comey, former deputy White House counsel Timothy E. Flanigan, came under sharp questioning from some senators last month about his role in setting U.S. policy on torture and his ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was indicted yesterday. A confirmation vote has yet to be scheduled.
The Judiciary Committee's chairman, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), indicated during a July 26 confirmation hearing that he was dissatisfied with some of Flanigan's responses and hinted that he might not support his appointment.
Perhaps the most intractable disagreement centers on Alice Fisher, a Justice official under Attorney General John D. Ashcroft. She is nominated to head the criminal division. A vote on Fisher's appointment has been blocked by Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), who is seeking information from the administration related to detainee-abuse allegations. Levin has placed a hold on Fisher's nomination, taking advantage of long-standing rules allowing one senator to block a nominee, according to Senate aides and Justice officials.
The standoff stems from an FBI e-mail revealed during recent litigation over detainee-abuse allegations in which the author writes: "In my weekly meetings with DOJ we often discussed [Defense Department] techniques and how they were not effective or producing intel that was reliable," adding in a second sentence that Fisher and other Justice officials "all attended meetings with FBI."
To Levin and other Democrats, including Sens. Richard J. Durbin (Ill.) and Edward M. Kennedy (Mass.), the e-mails indicated that Fisher may have participated in discussions of FBI objections to the tactics used by Defense Department interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and other detention facilities.
Fisher said in written responses to the Judiciary Committee that she did not recall participating in discussions of specific interrogation techniques. According to a follow-up letter from Assistant Attorney General William E. Moschella, the unidentified author of the FBI e-mail said that Fisher had not participated in such discussions and that he did not mean to imply that she had.
But Levin and other Democrats want to interview the FBI agent themselves, a request that the Justice Department has refused.
The Justice vacancies come at a busy time for the department. Under a reorganization ordered by President Bush, Justice officials are working on plans to create a national security division within the department to oversee counterintelligence and counterterrorism investigations -- much of which is now handled by the criminal division that Fisher has been nominated to lead.
Comey, the departing deputy attorney general, has also had the task of overseeing special counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald's probe into the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity.
Justice officials expect to announce today that Comey will be replaced temporarily by Associate Attorney General Robert D. McCallum. Officials have declined to say whether McCallum -- a Yale classmate of the president's as well as a longtime friend -- would be tapped to oversee the Plame investigation.
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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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Palmeiro To Return, Remains Silent
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BALTIMORE, Aug. 10 -- Baltimore Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro will return to the team Thursday after serving a 10-day suspension for using steroids but will not discuss his failed drug test, his agent said. Arn Tellem, who last week said Palmeiro would give his side of the story "soon," said Palmeiro has been advised not to comment.
The House Government Reform Committee is investigating whether Palmeiro committed perjury when he told its members on March 17 that he had never used steroids.
"Raffy is cooperating fully with the [committee] as it completes its work on this issue," Tellem said in an e-mail. "He has been advised to hold his public statements on the issue until the Congress can finish its work."
It was unclear why the advisers would not let Palmeiro speak.
Palmeiro's decision to withhold information is strictly his own and does not reflect direction given by the committee, a source close to the situation said. "There is no legal reason why they can't comment," the source said.
According to one baseball source, the Orioles tried to persuade Palmeiro to discuss the issue, but his representatives were set against revealing any information. The two sides went back and forth until the Orioles, at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, released a statement by Tellem saying that "it would not be appropriate to comment while the [committee] is doing its work. Pending review by that committee, there will be no other public comment. Raffy looks forward to rejoining the Orioles tomorrow, and he will focus his attention on baseball."
Tellem would not specify whether Palmeiro will ever comment publicly on his positive test.
The committee has not received the paperwork on Palmeiro's testing but expects it this week. Chairman Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) declined to comment until the paperwork has been reviewed.
It appears likely Palmeiro will finish the season with the Orioles despite the objections of some in the Baltimore front office, who had hoped the first baseman would retire. Executive Vice President Jim Beattie and Vice President Mike Flanagan declined to comment. Owner Peter Angelos, who is fond of Palmeiro, did not return a phone call.
"It's between Raffy and the owner," a source close to the Orioles said. "Our owner is compassionate to a fault. I'm not saying that as a negative. But at some point you have to let somebody stand on their own."
Interim manager Sam Perlozzo said before Wednesday's game that he wasn't certain whether Palmeiro would be in the starting lineup Thursday. The manager said Palmeiro, busy dealing with the fallout from his positive test result, probably hadn't practiced during his 10-day absence.
The Orioles braced themselves for what will likely be a hectic day on Thursday.
"I don't imagine the reaction is going to be good by any means," Orioles outfielder David Newhan said. "It's tough for a guy like Alex Sanchez. A guy like Rafael Palmeiro is going to be tenfold. I think it's going to be ugly. We already heard some of it in Anaheim. People asking where Raffy is and they know for sure where he was. It's going to be bad and you can only imagine what they're going to be saying."
The task of keeping the team focused will fall on Perlozzo.
"This team's job is go out and play baseball," Perlozzo said. "We feel there is a system in place that takes care of that business. I'm sure Raffy will talk to everybody on the ballclub. After that our job is to go out on the field. We expect him to help us. Our job is to play baseball."
Media reports circulated on Wednesday that Palmeiro's positive test result was the first of what will be many. One newspaper said as many as 50 players would be named. Those reports apparently are not accurate.
According to a statement issued by Major League Baseball and the players' union, "Reports of large numbers of positive tests currently unreported are totally false. Reports of big-name players having the reporting of their test results delayed are totally false. All drug-testing results are processed in precisely the same manner, and without regard to the identity of any player or to the volume of positives at any given time. These media reports and rumors are totally, and completely inaccurate, and do not deserve further comment."
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Rafael Palmeiro will return from his 10-day suspension for a positive steroid test Thursday and the first baseman is not going to comment on the matter.
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Critiquing the Press
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Howard Kurtz was online Monday, August 15, at Noon ET to discuss the press and his latest columns.
Washington, D.C.: I'm very disappointed in the media's lack of coverage on passing on John H. Johnson the publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines. I understand all the tributes to Peter Jennings (was an editorial about Jennings in The Post really necessary?) but I really feel Johnson deserved equal consideration and coverage. His contributions deserved more of than the short shrift they got last week.
Howard Kurtz: John Johnson was a very important figure, and I'm glad that The Post ordered up an appreciation to run alongside my piece on Jennings even though we didn't learn of Johnson's death until about 5 p.m. last Monday. But due to the power of television, Peter Jennings was one of the most famous people in the world, while most Americans would have had trouble identifying John H. Johnson. As a magazine publisher, he played a behind-the-scenes role; as a network anchor, Jennings played the most public of roles.
Bethesda, Md.: Dear Howie, this weekend I saw cable news programs with banners on the screen reading "Breaking News". When I looked further I saw the "Breaking News" was just another episode in the months-long missing persons case in Aruba. My question, Howie, is how can the electronic media be trusted by the American public if it engages in such truth-bending in its self-promotion? Obviously any thinking person has already discarded the cable networks as legitimate news carriers by their complete skewing of important stories for the titillating, such as this one. Saturday Night Live was 30 years ahead of the times when Chevy Chase would intone weekly that "Francisco Franco is still dead." Your views?
Thanks for considering this and replying. I am a media believer who has sadly given up on anything emitting from the TV, whether network or cable.
Howard Kurtz: The "Breaking News" logos have long since been overused, but it's particularly appalling when they're trotted out for minor developments in the Natalee Holloway case. Fox, by the way, is the network of record on that story and has single-handedly pumped up the Aruban economy.
Kind of a random question, but what would the standard be for a journalist to hold off on a story because of national security implications? For example, if a reporter got hold of war plans for Iraq (assuming we even have any) would they not print any locations with which we were going to strike?
Howard Kurtz: Journalists routinely refrain from publishing things like war plans that would endanger U.S. troops. There are tougher calls, of course, when an administration official contends that publishing some piece of information will be harmful to national security but the situation is not clear cut. News executives tend to decide these on a case by case basis.
Washington, D.C.: Does the Alexandria Detention Center not allow Judy Miller to be interviewed? That would be a ratings bonanza for some network.
Howard Kurtz: It's not the policy of the jail. Judy Miller has decided on her own to grant no interviews, not even to the New York Times.
Pownal, Maine: NARAL made a mistake. But were there any conservative columnists equivalent to EJ Dionne (for example) denouncing the Swift Boat commercials?
I do think it fair to say when you accept a political appointment, the assumption is that you agree with your employer's goals, even if you are an attorney. It is not the same as agreeing to represent a client in trouble seeking a lawyer.
Howard Kurtz: If there were a number of conservative commentators denouncing the Swift Boat ads, I missed them. They would say, of course, that the NARAL ad contained greater distortions. It's certainly true that a number of liberals, not just in the media, criticized the NARAL spot against John Roberts for twisting the facts. I found it interesting that the group never admitted or apologized for the commercial's flaws, just retreated to "we're taking it off the air because we don't want to be a distraction."
Miami Shores, Fla.: Howard, thanks as always for hosting this invaluable chat each Monday. Comparing coverage of the anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the foreign press, particularly the British, and with the American press, it seems apparent that the American press had mostly muted coverage, with limited photos of innocent civilians killed and with limited debate regarding the utility of dropping the bombs to end the war. Have you noticed this difference in coverage? If so, what do you think explains it?
Howard Kurtz: I haven't had a chance to study the foreign coverage. I did notice that Time did a cover on it and Newsweek had a substantial piece and the Weekly Standard ran a cover story. I'm not a big fan of anniversary stories, but with something like the momentous Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings it does give us a chance to reevaluate through the lens of history.
Seeing Washington from afar and Iraq from up close, it was interesting to see the article about the White House perhaps admitting to being a bit "unrealistic" in its expectations for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Is this a trial balloon by the White House to see how it plays? For an administration that never appears to admit any weaknesses, this really seems out of character.
One thing that dealing with the war in Iraq on a daily basis does is, first, make one thankful that this isn't like it was at this point during Vietnam where the casualties were beginning to climb into the hundreds per week level. Second, the situation in Iraq is such that the fighting could go on for years to come -- with or without U.S. forces in the country.
While many here are delighted to see Saddam Hussein gone, more than a few ask if the mess left in its place was worth the price, especially since we Americans don't seem to be leaving as many would like for us to do.
Thanks for bringing such things out in your columns.
Howard Kurtz: Thanks for your message.
Arlington, Va.: Why is The Washington Post sponsoring a pro-war rally? Please spare us the corporate side v. the newsroom side memo. The rally is being "officially sponsored" by the Department of Defense. And, to top it off, participants must register with their name, address and telephone number. Sounds to me like the Pentagon is trolling for bodies to send off to Iraq.
Howard Kurtz: I wouldn't call it a "pro-war rally"; that's your characterization. It is supposed to be about remembering the victims of 9/11. But I wish The Washington Post were not co-sponsoring this event. It is an operation by the Pentagon -- a place that we devote substantial resources to covering -- and therefore subject to all kinds of interpretations. It is not the same, in my view, as the corporate side of The Post handing out awards to the best teachers or other kinds of nonpartisan civic activities.
Albany, N.Y.: There are two kinds of media pundits/commentators: those who speak their own thoughts in their own words, and those who repeat, almost word for word if not word for word, the daily spin points of the party they favor. Why haven't the latter been run out of the media? I not only do not mind but actually appreciate hearing points of view different from my own, as I never learned anything from anyone who agreed with me. However, getting propaganda instead of facts and logic neither educates nor informs anyone. The media, in covering current events, is supposed to do that.
Robert Novak is in the hot seat right now because of his role in the Plame outing. However, in spite of the fact that I disagree with almost everything he believes in, I have always respected him because he is in the first group which I described. So is his former co-host Tucker Carlson, and so are his former opponents James Carville and Paul Begala. We need more such people in the media. When are we going to get rid of the screechers and the propagandists?
Howard Kurtz: Run out of the media? By whom? Everyone should make their own judgments about who is just a talking-point propagandist, but you don't need a license to become a talking head, just the requisite glibness to convince producers to put you on the air.
Washington, D.C.: I was at a D.C. bar seminar in October 2004 where Judges David Sentelle and John Roberts were speaking and Judge Sentelle said that he and his colleagues on the D.C. Circuit refer to him as "Justice Roberts."
Howard Kurtz: I guess they knew something we didn't.
Philadelphia, Pa.: I am disturbed that The Post is sponsoring the Department of Defense's 9-11 "Freedom Walk" in D.C.
It doesn't seem right for a national newspaper to be co-sponsoring an event with a government agency that it covers. How can The Post cover the events of the day if it appears to be sponsoring part of the administration's PR backdrop?
Arlington, Va.: Why does The Post devote so much coverage to Cindy Sheehan's crusade against Bush? The Post certainly didn't provide the same front page coverage to the parents of soldiers killed during the Clinton administration. For example, searching The Post archive, there is not a single mention of Herbert Shughart, who told President Clinton during the ceremony awarding his deceased son a Congressional Medal of Honor, that Clinton that "You are not fit to be president." Is it only because Sheehan is a publicity hound, and if so, should this crass behavior be rewarded? Or is it because The Post prefers her anti-Bush sentiment over Shughart's anti-Clinton statement?
Howard Kurtz: The Post is certainly not alone here -- Cindy Sheehan has been all over television and in other publications like the New York Times. What she has accomplished, whether you agree with her or not, is a classic bit of media manipulation. The complaints of one mother would hardly merit plenty of coverage, but one who is dogged enough to show up at Crawford, where lots of reporters are camped out in the heat with little news to cover, enabled Sheehan to fill a void. From there the coverage seemed to build on itself--small stories beget larger stories as more protestors showed up to support her and the media decided they had a symbol of those opposed to the war. Of course, the more Sheehan allies herself with groups like MoveOn, the more she risks being dismissed as a partisan rather than a mother with a heartfelt grievance.
Fairfax, Va.: Yesterday's Post article, "U.S. Lowers Sights on What Can Be Achieved in Iraq," reported that numerous serious Iraq policy failures are now being acknowledged. Although the article's headline claims the "U.S." has downgraded prospects in Iraq, there are no statements from Bush, Cheney or Rumsfeld either admitting these policy failures or agreeing with the newly pessimistic expectations. Instead, the article equates the "U.S." with anonymous officials who apparently are now free to speak for the Administration as they spill the beans about policy failures our top leaders have long been denying. The headline says there's been a policy change without directly attributing it to our top leaders themselves( no attribution, no accountability). Why the shadow puppets? Why can't The Post, an "Independent Newspaper", simply print a headline that says, "Bush Iraq Policy Fails"?
Howard Kurtz: Because that is commentary, not reporting. As much as I worry about the over reliance on unnamed sources, that struck me as a well-reported piece that advanced the ball on a subtle but important shift in American policy toward Iraq. If you simply wait for on-the-record statements from Bush, Rumsfeld et al, you would never find out what's really going on. I also suspect that some of these unnamed officials were putting this new line out there with the acquiescence, if not the blessing, of the White House.
Cleveland, Ohio: Howard: Can you please offer an explanation as to why both pundits and hosts on all the major TV shows from CNN, MSNBC, Fox, insist Hillary Clinton is running for president when she has never said publicly said she was going to be a candidate? Are they just trying to drum up a controversy? When any of these shows start talking about the Presidential race of 2008, I immediately turn the channel. I cannot bear to be subject to this nonsense for three more years.
Howard Kurtz: I have long maintained that it is at least possible that she won't run, but most media people don't want to hear that. They love the Hillary in '08 story because a) it's potentially groundbreaking (first woman with a real shot at the job, first first lady to consider running); b) Mrs. Clinton blows away all other Democrats in the ridiculously early polls, and c) she is doing the kind of subtle positioning that one would do to at least keep her options open for 2008. But the overarching reason is that political reporters are bored because they don't have a big race to cover this year.
Fort Myers, Fla.: Hello Mr. Kurtz:
A recent Zogby poll found that 42% of Americans would favor impeachment of George W. Bush, if it were shown that he lied about the reasons we went to war in Iraq. Other recent polls have consistently found that a clear majority of Americans think that's precisely the case.
But as Dan Froomkin reports in your paper, only three media outlets have even published the Zogby poll results.
During the Clinton/Lewinsky affair, no poll was deemed too obscure, no detail too sordid or salacious, to warrant front page coverage. And last time I checked, no one died from Clinton's lies about sex. The count from Bush's lies about Iraq is 1853.
Why isn't the mainstream media reporting on the "Impeachment Question"? Why are no questions being put to all those republican congressmen who held themselves out as arbiters of "truth," and "moral values" during Clinton/Lewinsky but are now silent when it comes to holding Bush accountable for lies that got us into a war?
Howard Kurtz: I have not seen the poll. But I am somewhat wary of surveys that say X percent would favor something IF something else turned out to be true.
Washington, D.C.: Your answer regarding the poor coverage of the death(and life!) of publisher John Johnson was lame, to be frank! By laying it off on the relative importance of television as opposed to print media was a cop out. Remember- for a great many Americans, and for many many years. John Johnson was more important than anyone on television, news anchor or not! he was very important to us when indeed, there was no opportunity for people of color to work in television, most especially not in front of the camera. Remember those days? You remember why that was so, don't you? So it would not have been inappropriate for a big splash of coverage, even rivaling that of a passing news anchor, when the great John Johnson passed.
Howard Kurtz: I don't say that John Johnson shouldn't have gotten more coverage than he did. I'm simply telling you that fame and television play very important roles in these decisions. I suppose race is also a factor, in this sense: Most whites did not grow up reading Ebony and Jet, which were not aimed at them. Therefore Johnson was a figure who was very, very important to a segment of the population, and to the news culture as a whole, but was an unfamiliar figure to a whole other segment of the population.
Could you address the question from the writer from Kuwait, who said "it was interesting to see the article about the White House perhaps admitting to being a bit "unrealistic" in its expectations for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Is this a trial balloon by the White House to see how it plays? For an administration that never appears to admit any weaknesses, this really seems out of character."
Thanks; your work is invaluable.
Howard Kurtz: Thanks. I think I addressed that in a subsequent post. It looks, feels and smells like an administration effort to lower expectations, just as campaign aides do during an election ("Bush will be lucky to stand on the same stage as Kerry, who's such a great debater"). The White House hopes at some point to be able to declare victory in Iraq and begin a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops. So while I don't know who the sources were for that article and can't be definitive, it looks like some in the administration are trying to lower the bar for what would be considered a reasonable outcome in Iraq.
Ames, Iowa: Why does Mrs. Sheehan have to be either/or? Why can't she be a mother with a heartfelt grievance AND a partisan? Why wouldn't she align herself with people who agree with her? Why wouldn't she want her feelings to have a political effect and actually make changes - rather than just a little temporary sympathy?
Howard Kurtz: She can, of course, be a mother with a heartfelt grievance and a partisan. But the more she seems like a spokeswoman for antiwar groups who is pushing her own ideological agenda, the less sympathy she is going to generate in the American public. There are, obviously, plenty of mothers who have lost sons in Iraq who support Bush and the war.
Kansas City, Mo.: I read George Will's column about Jimmy Carter regarding who allegedly stole Carter's 1980 briefing book. I remember some comments about Will helping prep Reagan and getting some criticism about then commenting on TV about his performance but wasn't aware of the flap on the briefing book. What's this all about?
Howard Kurtz: There was a huge investigation, which continued several years into the first Reagan term, of how the Reagan team obtained a copy of President Carter's debate briefing book before their only televised encounter in 1980. It was dubbed "Debategate" and was a major political story of its era.
New York, N.Y.: Howard, thanks for taking our questions. Regarding the Cindy Sheehan coverage, you write: "What she has accomplished, whether you agree with her or not, is a classic bit of media manipulation."
In short - bull. The MSM is covering her because it WANTS to cover her, since she makes an attractive anti-war story. Anything to further their anti-war agenda. A couple of weeks ago, a Damien Cave wrote in the New York Times "Week in Review" section an piece wondering where all the "war heroes" are. Well, guess what, the MSM has found ITS war hero - Cindy Sheehan - and they are given her a hero's welcome.
Meanwhile, I search the Washington Post's archives for stories about Medal of Honor winner Paul Ray Smith, and find 3. There are 28 articles about Sheehan. My contempt for the MSM just continues to grow.
Howard Kurtz: Since you firmly believe the media have an antiwar agenda, anything I say will not dissuade you.
I am still struggling to understand the mindset of today's news media (or maybe it's the American public). Many reporters, at great risk to themselves, are doing excellent reporting on the war in Iraq. Yet, their often incisive coverage is generally buried or ignored. Then, a mother who has lost a son in the war stages a protest outside the President's ranch/retreat and you would think by the wall-to-wall coverage that another Jackson juror had recanted. You can say it is a compelling human interest story but there are now nearly 1,800 similar human interest stories out there not counting the thousands of soldiers maimed. The lesson to me, it seems, is that news today is all about emotion, not reason; that confrontation trumps every other news value; and that the media, despite the vast resources at their disposal, only cover stories that are dropped in their lap. This is not a healthy combination if we are to use what learn from the media to help us make sound national decisions. How did we get to this point, and how do we move beyond it?
Howard Kurtz: Well, I don't agree that the media only cover stories that are dropped in their lap, but for reporters stuck on Crawford duty in August, this story was indeed dropped in their lap. I thought it would be a two-day story at first, but Sheehan, with help from a liberal PR firm and supporters flocking to Texas, has succeeded in turning her protest into a running story. Imagine if she had come to Washington and held up her sign in Lafayette Park--I doubt she would have gotten three paragraphs in the local papers.
Cornelius, N.C.: Mr. Kurtz, why are Fox, MSNBC and CNN so heavily getting into crime stories like Natalee, and the missing honeymoon groom and not REAL news? There is SO much going on in our nation politically, economically, and with environmental issues. I cannot get the information from the supposed cable news programs. I am forced to read blogs and op-eds etc from my computer. Are other people as frustrated with this wimpy press or are they manipulated by the owners of the channels because lately most of the news is not favorable to this administration?
Howard Kurtz: Cable news and the network morning shows have become addicted to these missing white women stories, as I've written and talked about several times, because they produce a bump in the ratings. JonBenet, Chandra, Laci, you name it. CNN went wild over the runaway bride story; MSNBC and especially Fox seem more enamored of the Holloway story. And yes, they are just local crimes, sad but hardly unusual, that a decade ago would have been covered only by the local press.
El Segundo, Calif.: Dear Howard,
Re; Arlington, VA's comment about "Herbert Shughart" - even though The Post may not have mentioned the encounter, there were certainly other major media outlets that did (NY Times, Boston Herald, Austin American Statesman, several Florida papers, The New Republic, etc). The fact is, Clinton faced the parents and took Mr. Shughart's comments in gut. The encounter was public enough to be reported. I don't recall the current president being confronted in the same manner.
Howard Kurtz: I have not refreshed my recollection on that incident, but I think it's fair to say that the Iraq war is many, many times more controversial than the Bosnia or Kosovo conflicts were, not least because of 2-1/2 years of American casualties. If there was still strong public support for the war, as there was in the aftermath of Saddam's ouster, I don't think Sheehan's protest would be getting much coverage at all.
What makes for a better story or coverage out of Crawford? 1. Sheehan and the more martyred mom or 2. Citizens supporting their president.
I'll bet a paycheck or two I know what got more press coverage over the weekend.
Howard Kurtz: Sure, because you had Cindy Sheehan out there giving interviews (though I noticed Late Edition interviewed a pro-war mother who had lost a son in Iraq before talking to Sheehan). If the pro-war side organizes events, those will also draw coverage. Don't underestimate the importance of personalizing a story, any story, and of providing visuals, especially for television.
Anonymous: For us who are uneducated, what does MSM stand for? I was taught, that one should define a term, the first it is used, and not assume that everyone is familiar with it.
Howard Kurtz: It's just the plain old, garden variety mainstream media. Bloggers began using MSM as shorthand (even though it's really two words) and it kind of caught on.
Boston, Mass.: Courage to you, Howard, for bucking political correctness and explaining clearly why John Johnson's death didn't get as much coverage as the passing of Peter Jennings. The only legitimate argument in favor of giving both equal coverage is that, were it not for John Johnson, there would have been no Oprah Winfrey (in terms of people of color building media empires).
Howard Kurtz: That's a good comparison. In the distant future when Oprah passes, she will get 100 times more coverage than did John Johnson. Not because she was a more important historical figure -- indeed, her talk show was kind of tawdry in the early years -- but because she is a famous television personality (not to mention the spinoff magazine bearing her initial).
Washington, D.C.: Howard - I think you missed Fairfax's point about the change in the administration's Iraq strategy. Nobody is saying that you have to wait for an actual quote from Bush, Cheney, et al. The point is, it's obvious where the "new strategy" is coming from, and the story should say so.
Howard Kurtz: "The Bush administration is significantly lowering expectations of what can be achieved in Iraq, recognizing that the United States will have to settle for far less progress than originally envisioned during the transition due to end in four months, ACCORDING TO U.S. OFFICIALS IN WASHINGTON AND BAGHDAD."
The third graf cited "a senior official involved in policy since the 2003 invasion."
I think it's pretty clear where the story came from.
Washington, D.C.: Can I just say that I love your chats and make sure to never miss them.
But that said, do you ever find the irony/humor in the fact that you'll get messages on something like the Sheehan issue where both the left and right accuse the media of being biased in favor of the other? It's almost reassuring to me that, at some level, something is right with the MSM if so many people on both sides are so furious at it all the time.
Howard Kurtz: But that's the nature of media criticism these days, especially in a divided country and especially on a polarizing issue. People on the left and right look at the same coverage and accuse the MSM (there's that acronym again) of bias toward the other side. Sometimes each side has valid points, but their conclusions are heavily influenced by their own political opinions.
Atlanta, Ga.: Mr. Howard, sir. Just a brief note to thank you for all your good work. Keep it up and remember what a great service you are to all of America.
Howard Kurtz: Many thanks, Atlanta.
Rockville, Md.: In response to the posters who questioned why John Johnson was not given more coverage: I am 30 years old and moved here from Laos 12 years ago. Until his death, I had no idea who this man was. I still do not know what these magazines are, because I read magazines either aimed at other Asians or the mainstream. On the other hand, I have always watched the news on a major channel and know of Peter Jennings.
While I am sorry to hear of his death, just because something was momentous for one race or group, does not make it so for all.
Howard Kurtz: Thanks for your comment. Although part of our job as journalists is to inform you about people and events you were unaware of, or had never focused on as important.
Alexandria, Va.: The war in Kosovo ended with almost no lost of American life. Why hasn't the Press compared the difference between Iraq and Kosovo. We must of did something right in Kosovo.
Howard Kurtz: In fairness, the U.S. role in Kosovo mainly involved an air war, which is what resulted in so few American casualties. Iraq not only involved large numbers of ground troops, but they didn't get to go home once the Saddam regime fell.
Avon, Mass.: There is a story in your paper today about Newt Gingrich. He is quoted talking about the "elite media". Has he, or any of the leading spinmeisters, ever given a list of the entities to which this term is supposed to refer?
Howard Kurtz: It's like pornography -- you know it when you see it.
Gingrich, by the way, is a commentator at Fox News, so he is part of the Murdoch media empire.
Boston, Mass.: I haven't seen a lot of coverage about any big Senatorial elections coming up next year, save a few on Hilary and Rick Santorum. What are the chances of the Democrats picking up seats? Wouldn't those stories be more relevant than who may/may not run in 2008, which are everywhere? Thanks.
Howard Kurtz: It's hard to say a year in advance, but most political pros don't give the Democrats a good chance of picking up many seats, or at least not enough to take back control of the Senate. You'll see more Senate race stories when 2006 arrives, but I don't expect any diminution of the Hillary/McCain/Rudy/'08 speculation stories. Not everyone knows who the Senate candidates are in Pennsylvania, for example, but everyone knows the possible presidential contenders (although there's always a little-known Howard Dean figure who comes out of nowhere to defy the early media prognostications).
Thanks for the chat, folks.
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Post Magazine: Off the Rim
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Kevin Merida has played pickup basketball all over town for more than three decades. He's played in Southeast and Northwest, he's played with congressmen and gym rats, and he has learned that you can tell a lot about a guy by the way he approaches the game.
Merida, whose essay "Off the Rim" appeared yesterday in The Washington Post Magazine's Sports Issue , was online Monday, Aug. 15 to field questions and comments.
Kevin Merida is an associate editor of The Washington Post.
Your essay on pickup basketball was great. I wrote my dissertation, published three journal articles, and coproduced one documentary on pickup basketball. What you said about basketball revealing character is right on target. So, here is my question, "What does your pushing a guy (was that a foul?) so that he cannot catch the ball reveal about you?"
Thanks, Jason Jimerson Franklin College
Kevin Merida: thanks, jason. great question. it was a foul, perhaps. but what i left out of my article--context that had been included in an earlier draft--was the refs were calling the game loosely, allowing a fair amount of contact. the guy i was guarding had been using this to his advantage, pushing, hooking, etc...so i decided i'd take advantage of the officials' liberal allowing of contact. perhaps what it reveals about me is the desire to use mind over body in competition. or something like that.
Richmond, Va.: Kevin, your article was a good read this morning online. Thanks. I think that the 'character evaluation' that you spoke of could be found in most, if not all, sports. Y'know...you can tell a lot about someone by how they play golf, etc. What sets basketball apart?
Kevin Merida: i agree with you--you can tell a lot about people no matter the endeavor, provided you pay attention. there is a lot more going on in basketball than there is in golf, which is essentially a game of solitude at its core. there is nothing but noise in basketball, raw emotion you can see and hear.
Washington, DC: Hey Kevin, GREAT article. I consider myself a gym rat/basketball enthusiast also. I almost felt like I was reading an article about myself. I'm a 42 yr. old native of Detroit, Michigan and have lived in DC for the last 20 years. I have played in every league from the YMCA men's league to the Urban Coalition. Your article reminded me most of the lunch time run at the YMCA downtown, where doctors, lawyers, and many other professionals gather to enjoy some pretty competitive games from around 11 am to 1 pm, Monday through Friday. Are you familiar with the games played there?
Kevin Merida: i am familiar with the lunchtime games at the ymca, though i've never participated. i do remember the urban coalition runs from my youth.
Bethesda, Md.: I liked the article a lot. I have played a little basketball -- nothing like the author -- and I still play a ltttle although I am 65 and on coumadin. I also agree you can learn a lot about people playing ball with them. I was intrigued with the denoument: "a little forearm nudge to the small of his back"! Why is that not a foul, even if playing no harm, no foul? A little knife in the back? All's fair in war and basketball? What kind of defensive approach is that?
You can learn a lot about a person...
Kevin Merida: i figured that would be a question for me--the forearm nudge part. regrettably, i didn't have enough background about the tenor of the game to hopefully make that "foul" make some sense to fellow ballers. i saw it as playing the game the way it was being played out there, including by the guy i was guarding. one of the things coaches teach you is to pay attention to how the game is called. it's a lesson the us olympic team, which got clobbered in athens, apparently didn't learn. how else to explain tim duncan fouling out of two games? a guy who never fouls out of nba games.
Washington, D.C.: Kev, great story, but what about Downey's four point play when you guys were down by three?
Kevin Merida: i am guessing this question comes from one of my awesome teammates from that tournament. in fact, is that you, tom? (smile)...but really, tom's 4-pointer was a signature moment. i think i saw a clip of it on "sports center" later that night. certainly, when i ran into stephen a. smith weeks later, he was still raving about it.
New York, N.Y.: Who do you consider to be the best player from DC? Who is the best player you have played with/against?
Kevin Merida: best player ever from d.c.? that is an extremely difficult call. adrian dantley? elgin baylor? dave bing? so many greats, and then there are those who are not well-known, perhaps, by the larger basketball world but who are legends in d.c...turk tillman, duck williams, jo-jo hunter, etc...the best players i played against/with were stacy robinson (a parade magazine all-american) and archie talley (who led the nation in scoring at salem state and was drafted by the knicks).
Philadelphia, Pa.: Kevin, Great article. They say to never judge a book by its cover, and that really applies to basketball. You never know who is really good, and who isn't. Because of its global popularity, basketball is also a great way to get to know people from all over the world. When I was at Maryland, we would get to know the newer students by inviting them out to play. It was alot better than having a department get-together, and for the students from far away places, it was a great way to meet everyone and become friends.
Kevin Merida: basketball, indeed, is a great social experience. i know a guy i went to college with who has an annual barbecue/3-on-3 tourney at his home as a bonding event, bringing families together.
Great article. I've played in the Jelleffs games and in the downtown Y game mentioned by another on-liner. My comment has to do with most gym rat games where there are no clocks or referees. When I think about how I play, I think in terms of how I might use the same technique you discussed, but without a ref, that call isn't made. The next time down the court, I'd give my guy a clean look or a step. I think that's the only part of being a gym rat that you didn't talk about; the notion of guys who call silly fouls or other guys who understand how to foul in pick-up ball.
Kevin Merida: i am with you, bethesda, on that one--i hate silly, petty foul calls. i think sometimes these calls reveal an insecurity about one's skills, and at other times an inability to accept that someone has gotten the better of you. i think all you can do is be true to yourself and your game--and let the rest take care of itself.
Miami Beach, Fla.: Great article. Summertime pick-up basketball is like pick-up soccer around the world. Same honest conversations, same questions asked when you see dizzying skill levels (the why, where, and who of pick-up legends), and the emotions that only sport can create. One thing I didn't like: you cheated at the end and should've called your own foul ... if you can't still hang: get on court "B" !
Kevin Merida: ouch, miami beach...but hey, let me know where you play and i'll pay a visit and we can settle it down there on the court (smile)..as i stated earlier on this question, i don't consider that cheating. i consider the forearm nudge the kind of contact that the refs had been allowing all game. and i did it subtly, like all of the best contact. if you watch the pro game or watch any high-profile summer league ball, you see just how much contact is allowed. i don't have a problem with that. you just have to figure out how to make that work to your advantage. one of the most famous examples of subtle contact was "the shot," as michael jordan's last second jumper over bryon russell of the utah jazz has been dubbed. at first glance, it looks like a brilliant crossover by jordan that had russell stumbling. but on closer inspection, jordan did a sweep of his hand and pushed russell to clear some space for him. now, THAT was a foul. but the refs are never, ever gonna call that in that situation...what i did was like picking a piece of lint off a guy's jersey, compared to that jordan contact.
Silver Spring, Md.: Great Article Kevin, I am about your age and loved watching summer league at jellefs, i played high school and that was one of my great accomplishments, you see i was the only asian in the whole interhigh, keep up the writing...thanks
Kevin Merida: hey, keep up the playing. you ever play at martin luther king playground in silver spring?
Indianapolis, Ind.: Do you think that younger players focus more on individual moves, while older players emphasize team play?
Some of this difference may be due ability and age. I used to jump over people, then I used to go around them, then outsmart them, now I watch (Ruptured patella tendon September 13, 2004). But I also think the high school, college, and pro basketball emphasize individual prowess over team ball.
Kevin Merida: i agree about the decline of team play. a lot of this has to do with the celebration of spectacular offensive moves, as seen on espn's "sports center." some of it has to do with rise of all-year-around basketball (via aau and other tournaments in which kids are scouted and tracked at very young ages). and some of it has to do with the commercialization of street ball, notably the "And 1" mixed-tape tour. those guys are today's globetrotters, and kids everywhere are expressing themselves--or want to express themselves--on the court with flash and moves that wouldn't even be legal in a refereed game.
Arlington, Va.: Enjoyed your article. I often compare my profession (consulting) to pick-up basketball. I think the experiences of earning the respect of people that don't know you are similar. My question: have you noticed a deterioration of the intelligence of the game? The NBA seems to reflect more pure athleticism and less intelligence. (The NBA Finals this year were a welcome exception). Does this translate to the pick-up game?
Kevin Merida: well, i'd like not to draw a bright line between athleticism and intelligence. plenty of athletic players are also intelligent players. i think lebron james, one of the league's most athletic players, plays with considerable intelligence on the court, even though he is very young. high basketball IQ...as for the nba, look at the nba champions of late--namely the pistons and the spurs. two teams who play like teams. and even phoenix, known for scoring bunches of points and running and gunning, was led by a point guard who brought excitement back to the assist.
Silver Spring, Md.: Sports are the true equalizer, transcending race, color, status, and often times experience. I have seen many players give their all during pickup games, that I would much rather have on my team than some of these former "super star" players from around the area.
Kevin Merida: couldn't agree more. it's becoming a modern cliche now, but larry brown is onto something when he talks about playing the right way.
Terrific essay. It brought a flood of memories back from my pickup days (my back keeps me from playing anymore; now I ride a bike). Love the section about sizing up the competition; most of us who've played a lot can tell within 60 seconds who can play and who can't. One of my favorite methods was to see how well a player could use both hands to dribble; if he had a very dominant right or left hand dribble, it was all over for him if I was guarding him. I'd overplay him so much to that side that most of the time, he'd give up halfway through and mostly just run up and down the court after that, not calling for (or wanting) the ball anymore. For me, defense was every bit as fun as offense.
Kevin Merida: yeah, i agree. defense is a very underrated part of the pickup game. for a lot of guys, pickup is not fun unless they're scoring. but i enjoy a good defensive duel. the challenge of guarding a really good player--not to mention the workout--is satisfying.
Tampa, Fla: Enjoyed your insights, Kevin.
My question's about trash talk. I play at a park whose diversity rivals roll call at a U.N. meeting. Ballers yap incessantly, often heatedly. Yet, I'm always amazed that the fights are few. Where's the threshold?
Also, how would you characterize trash talkings role in the game? Thanks.
Kevin Merida: i am not a big trash talker, though i have been known to talk a little trash when it's called for. the threshold for me, whether i'm involved in it or not, is that it be in the spirit of fun, good natured, not personal, not ugly, not threatening. i don't particularly like games at this stage of my life where the tension is so high it no longer becomes fun...though i've certainly played in my share of intensely competitive games.
Silver Spring, Md.: Kevin, no I played most at georgetown playground, turkey thicket in NE, a group of us used to drive around open gyms and play, these days its 50 and over leagues and once in a while hoop it up....
Kevin Merida: i love hoop-it-up! i am sorry that the number of hoop-it-up tourneys seems to be on the decline. none in this area, i believe, for the first time in years.
I have been known to talk a little trash when it's called for: LOL. Are you trying to be funny? Do you realize how that sounds?
Kevin Merida: let me clarify: when i talk trash it is friendly trash talk and to people i know. so it's in the spirit of good-natured ribbing. so maybe it's not really trash talk, as you envision it. now, if someone i don't know starts talking trash to me, i make a decision if it's worth responding to--sometimes i do and sometimes i don't. my instinct, generally, is just to play and let my game do the talking.
Kevin Merida: thanks to all who submitted questions...i'm out of here. catch some of you on the court someday.
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Since 1986, Ron Shaffer , better known as Dr. Gridlock , writes his column for The Washington Post, Dr. Gridlock Column. In it he tracks the region's traffic woes, finds the correct officials to answer drivers' questions and responds to some of the hundreds of letters he receives each month. He describes himself as "the Ann Landers of commuters."
Dr. Gridlock was online August 15, at 12:30 p.m. ET .
Dr. Gridlock appears Sunday in the Metro section and Thursday in Extra. You can write to him at 1150 15th St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. He prefers to receive e-mail, at drgridlock@washpost.com, or faxes, at 703-352-3908. Please include your full name, town, county and day and evening phone numbers.
Ashburn, Va.: Ron: Hoping someone from VDOT or the toll road gods are watching. Wondering why after all these years of them encouraging us to get the fastoll/smartag that there are still only two express lanes at the main toll plaza? Everyday, those two lanes back up farther than the other lanes and it makes no sense. West bound in the evening is ridiculous...people try to merge at the last minute into the right of the two lanes causing everyone to slow. Why aren't there three or four express lanes? Make those who won't get the tag wait. The Greenway plaze had three west bound express lanes two weeks ago and it was wonderful -- oddly, for the past week or so, the third lane has been coned off -- stupid!!! Thanks
Dr. Gridlock: VDOT tells me that as the demand for Smart Tag/E-ZPass use increases, they will convert more lanes to that purpose. I'll pass on your observations. It makes no sense at all for the department to be encouraging the use of fast toll and then provide so few fast toll booths that non-users are getting through faster...
Laurel, Md.: Good Afternoon, Doc! I returned yesterday from a weekend get-away in the mountains of Central Pa., via I-70, thru Hagerstown and Frederick, on through to Rt 32. There were several spots of slow traffic (not unexpected) but I was surprised by how congested it was out toward Hagerstown, and all the building that seems to be happening out that way. Is Hagerstown becoming a far-flung suburb of Washington? Are there any plans to widen I-70 between Hagerstown and Frederick to help accommodate the increased traffic flow? Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Dr. Gridlock: As Frederick County is being gobbled up with subdivisions, I suppose it makes sense that Hagerstown would be next. I'd like to hear from any readers who know.
I know of no FUNDED plans to widen I-70, just as there are none to widen I-270.
Severna Park, Md.: This may be a bit O/T, but I'm wondering if you know where I could get info on the number of handicapped spaces that must be provided in parking areas.
I have a temporary handicapped placard following a recent accident. I am on crutches but manage fairly well.
Last week, with the heat index well over 100, I arrived at an Orioles game an hour ahead of game time, paid $10 to park in the lot with handicapped spaces, only to find they were all taken. I wound up parking down by the Ravens Stadium, only a couple of blocks from where I usually park for free. As I said, I manage OK, but other patrons were pushing wheelchairs, using walkers, using two canes, etc., having a much harder time of it than I was.
I stopped at the Guest Service area and politely suggested they install more spaces. They said they were already providing more than required by law and suggested I get there earlier. However, hat would not solve the problem of not enough spaces for their handicapped patrons. Maybe the number needs to be reconsidered?
On a related topic, the instructions accompanying my placard clearly state that the placard is not to be displayed while driving. (I notice a lot of people disregard this instruction.) So I tend to not display the placard until I am in the space, and remove it before I back out. This has led to all sorts of catcalls, finger-pointing, and other negative activities by people who assume I don't qualify for the space, until I hold up the placrd. Maybe if people knew of this rule, they would not be so negative.
Dr. Gridlock: Why not put your placard on as you enter a parking lot? Also, I would be surprised if the Orioles did not provide the minimum required number of handicap spots, particularly given how many top state officials visit there.
More likely is lack of enforcement, which is a problem at most handicap spaces. You might write the Orioles with your post here, and see what kind of response you get. I'd like to know.
Proctor, Vt.: Re: Your alternate route from D.C. to New England via 81; you must warn people that there can be REALLY bad fog on 81 north of Harrisburg, on the way to Scranton. It can be TERRYIFYING and terribly dangerous. My husband and I have vowed to NEVER go that way again if it the weather looks like it might be foggy. I'm talking about tractor trailers passing you at 70 MPH and then just DISAPPEARING into the fog. Something definitely to consider; at least in New Jersey you can see the other vehicles on the road.
washingtonpost.com: From Dr. Gridlock's Traffic FAQ : How do I avoid I-95 on the way to New York or Boston?
Dr. Gridlock: Thanks for the warning. I'm wondering if the New Jersey Turnpike gets fog
Vienna, Va.: Dr. G, Why is Virginia wasting money on the "Hot Lanes" proposal for the Beltway rather than fixing the problem with "Local and Express" collector distributor lanes between the American Legion bridge and the Mixing Bowl? Much of the blueprint is already in place and anyone that commutes that route knows that the major cause of the backups in this section are the merge to exit onto the Toll Road and I-66W. The proximity of Rtes 123 and 7 also create a merging nightmare. However, if these areas are separated from the 'express' traffic, there would be no opportunity for the left lane riders to cross Beltway lanes at the last minute to merge into exiting traffic. There would be a few other advantages to having a separate lanes -namely those commuters wishing to exit onto I-66W from route 7, 123 or the Toll road would not have to merge onto the beltway, only to get right back off again. As the Rte 7 entrance to the Beltway is currently set up, VA extended the Rte 7 on ramp for the merge, and shortly after the merge is complete, the entrance ramp to I-66W was extended towards Rte 7, but didn't go all the way, so 6 lanes at Rte 7 merge into 4 only to expand back to 5 with the far right lane an exit only to I-66W. Does that make any sense? Why not extend the Rte 7 ramp to connect to the dedicated I-66W ramp? That way those commuters wanting I-66W can just stay in their lane. I see that the Dulles Toll road ramp is being widened to two lanes, but unless a 'dedicated' right lane is added extending back to Georgetown Pike, I don't see much relief. Who are your contacts within VDOT that need to look at this and address the traffic flow concerns rather than creating another 'Greenway' that will be under used at considerable expense to the State and contractor?
Dr. Gridlock: I'm not sure why you think this is a bad development. We are talking about four more lanes on the Beltway, paid by the private sector (and reimbursed by tolls). The entrance, exit concerns you have will have to be addressed in any final design, much the way the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project required four new interchanges and a Beltway widening.
It's not a done deal yet. VDOT has a website. Log on to VirginiaDOT.org.
Washington, D.C.: The are newly designated "Bus and Bike Only" lanes painted on 7th and 9th streets NW, between Pennsylvania and K Street NW. Are these lanes off-limits to other vehicles -- cabs, cars, SUVs? How will the restriction be enforced?
Dr. Gridlock: The signs seem pretty clear to me. All others should keep out. I believe this was done for the benefit of the new D.C. Circulator buses that are looping around the city.
Problems: 7th and 9th Street--already heavily traveled-- lose a lane. How will they be enforced? They won't be, if you consider the number of illegally parked vehicles during rush hours.
Annandale, Va.: Submitting my pet peeve about area drivers early:
I drive in to Arlington each weekday via the Beltway to I-66 East (HOV lanes -- I have two passengers). My pet peeve centers on the idiots that change into the "exit only" lane to I-66 so they can whiz by traffic just to rejoin the Beltway traffic with 10 feet to spare. Of course they have no turn signals (why should they?) and they stop short at the end so traffic that IS exiting to I-66 has to hit the brakes (often pretty hard!) to avoid these jerks.
What's involved with putting up some sort of barrier (jersery barrier?) so drivers couldn't use the exit only lane in this fashion? Who should I contact about this?
Second question -- any suggested non-Beltway commuting routes to get from Annandale to the Ballston area in Arlington? (I've had the best luck going Columbia Pike to Sleepy Hollow Rd to Patrick Henry to Wilson Blvd but thought there may be other options.)
Dr. Gridlock: Let's see if anyone out there has a suggestion for a better route.
Skipping traffic via a parallel ramp is not illegal in Virginia. To talk about barriers, you can enter the system by calling (703) 383-VDOT.
You might try for a more precise description of the problem. I couldn't get a visual. For instance, which way are you traveling on the Beltway? Where is this entry/exit problem. Maybe I'm just slow today...
Springfield, Va.: Over the years the traffic problems at the Wilson Bridge and the Springfield interchange have been talked about at nausium. Why does there seem to be no attention given to the 66/495 interchange? The traffic tie up there is as bad or worse than any other in Virginia. Having the traffic from 66 drop into the left lanes of the beltway in the morning is stupidity, and backs traffic on the outer loop up to the Springfield interchange.
Dr. Gridlock: The Springfield interchange has more traffic than I-66/ Beltway. I'm not sure what your concern is regarding a merge onto the Beltway.
You can connect to the Beltway (toward American Legion Bridge)from either the right or left lane of inbound I-66. Yes?
Centreville, Va.: The proposal's for the new HOT lanes on the beltway have all been missing one significant piece of information.
How will the determination between single/with transponder drivers and multiple/without transponder drivers be accomplished? Or if I have a transponder, but I have multiple people in my car, how do I avoid being charged the toll rate?
Short of stationing a State Trooper at every exit and entrance, is there any way to accomplish this?
Dr. Gridlock: I have heard that camera enforcement will be the primary tool. I recognize we don't have that here yet, but this is some years away.
Your questions are good ones. If we have to depend on state police, as current experience shows, the HOT lane concept is doomed...
Washington, D.C.: Have you noticed any decrease in traffic in connection with the recent gas price increases? I would expect that some people would stop these ridiculous hour plus commutes in their gas guzzling SUV's now that they have to pay more for the pleasure.
Dr. Gridlock: I haven't seen any surveys of this, but what you suggest makes more and more sense as gasoline prices rise. Metro is bursting at the seems this year. I wonder how much of that is gas price fallout...
Just wanted to get opinions on the prevelance of area drivers to use the entrance and exit lanes as "short cuts" around backups. I travel across the Legion bridge every day, and every day I see people using the Cabin John Pkwy exit and the Georgetown Pike exit (From MD to VA) to get around backed up traffic. I also see them using the exit lane for the GW Pkwy and the entrance lane from the Clara Barton Pkwy going back (VA to MD). Some are even now using the sholders to drive on to get to thier exit.
As someone who patiently waits this is infuriatiing!!! Can't law enforcement do anything to stop this? It just contributes to the merging traffic further up the road.
I am just about fed up!!!
Dr. Gridlock: I'm not aware of any laws that probhibit use of entrance/exit lanes to leapfrog congestion. However, use of the shoulder lane is prohibited. Don't we feel satisfied when law enforment pulls one of those bozos over?
I understand your frustration. As the population grows without an adequate transportation system, I suspect we will be seeing more of this.
Silver Spring, Md.: Hello, Dr. Gridlock. I just moved offices to Silver Spring from D.C., and I'm happy thus far with my commute. I go from Bethesda to Silver Spring via Beach Drive, Jones Mill, and East West Highway to Colesville Road, where my new office is.
My question is how much longer can I expect this commute to take once the summer ends.
Dr. Gridlock: My anecdotal sense of traffic is that we lose 25 to 50 percent in July and August. It's not just the vacations, it's also the fact that school is out.
This is a good time to get restaurant reservations.
How much worse will your commute be? You'll know the day after Labor Day. Anyone out there care to estimate, and/or provide an alternate route?
Vienna, Va.: I've heard people say they leave much more than the usual amount of space between their car and the car in front when stopping at a light or stop sign because they don't want to be rear-ended ... here's why I think they're instead more likely to be rear-ended when they do that:
I don't just look at the car in front of me when driving, I also look at the car in front of that car, and the one in front of that -- in fact, I look as far up ahead of me as I can. When a car several cars ahead of me puts on its brakes, it alerts me that I may need to do so as well. When the cars in front of me slow in order to stop, I'm not just paying attention to the car immediately in front of me, I'm also making sure the cars in front of it don't do anything that would alert me to having to react quickly, such as swerving or slamming on their brakes. I'm also paying attention to the cars behind me, and at the cars next to me. If the car directly in front of me does something unexpected, like leaving an extra car space between it and the car in front of it, I might not see it immediately, and I might not stop in time.
I agree that drivers should pay attention to the road, and the cars in front of them -- but we also have to be aware of those behind us and to the sides, especially in congested areas. Perhaps drivers who like to leave lots of extra space in front of themselves could put a warning sign on their car to alert the rest of us that they're going to be stopping before the rest of us might otherwise think.
Dr. Gridlock: You make good points. I agree with them. A trailing driver not expecting a stop several car lengths behind a stopped car might wind up hitting the short-stopper, ironically.
Worst cases of the big intervals are vehicles that needlessly choke off access to right and left turn lanes.
Alexandria, Va.: I'm wondering if you or any of the chatters can tell me what's been happening with the GW Parkway southbound through Old Town the past few rush hours? Last Thursday the traffic report said the huge backup was due to some ill-timed signals near the 495 but Friday was just as bad with green lights coming and going with no movement at all. It's very frustrating as I usually find very little problem even during rush hour - at least things move! There are very few options other than Rt 1 which is suffering from the Wilson Bridge issues. Any thoughts?
Dr. Gridlock: First, I don't believe it is the GWParkway through the City of Alexandria. It is Washington Street. The City of Alexandria this spring retimed some of the lights to allow more green lights for crossing (read city residents) traffic. Perhaps that is what you're seeing.
You can file a commplaint, or lodge a question, with the city's transportation director, Rich Baier, who can be reached through the switchboard at (703) 838-4300. He's a nice guy.
Wash, DC: Dr. Gridlock: When did 9th Street get re-zoned as a bus lane? With the demolition of the old convention center, a nice wide street that was convenient for crossing town has gone to basically one functional lane at rush hour--forcing one to choose between using the "buses only lane" (is this a ticketable offense) or sit in unmoving traffic--in which there are still buses holding up the traffic. Is this temporary? If not, how are these decisions made? Thanks!
Dr. Gridlock: See an earlier post today about the D.C. Circulator buses. Keep in mind that the city would just as soon see everyone in the suburbs come to the city via public transportation. Therefore, narrowing arteries in and out of the city may not be viewed as a bad thing.
The city can do these things because they have paint brushes. That doesn't make it right in everyone's mind.
Will you get a ticket? Look at the number of illegally parked vehicles in rush hours that are not getting tickets, and your question probably answers itself. But I wouldn't recommend ignoring the signs on 9th and 7th streets.
Springfield, Va.: I got a kick out of this one this morning. An older couple in a vehicle with Florida license plates were trying to cross 4 lanes of the of the beltway to get to the left hand exit for Rt 66 West. For each lane change, they would slowy drive with their turn signal on and come to a complete stop until someone let them into the lane. By the time they made it all the way to the left lane they had missed the exit ramp. They then came to a complete stop and started changing lanes to make the right hand exit further down. Stopping in each lane until someone let them in. In my rear view mirror I could see that they did make it to the exit ramp. Why can't VDOT put up a sign for vehicles on the Rte 50 merge lane to ONLY use the right exit ramp for Rte 66?
Dr. Gridlock: Last I saw, VDOT does have overhead signage indicating motorists can use left or right exits to get onto outbound I-66. The question is, is that signage enough?
You don't indicate whether these people came from Route 50, so why limit the solution to that traffic?
The terrifying part of this anecdote is that they stopped in the middle of interstate traffic. These people probably should not be driving interstate highways.
Burke, Va.: Can you tell me what theory they use to time traffic lights? I always thought that the idea was to keep the traffic on main road moving, which means timing consecutive lights so that you would not go from red light to red light on the same road. I'm finding in Northern Virigina, specifically the Burke area, has many lights on sensors rather than timed. If I'm on Guinea Road in Burke going the speed limit, I get red lights at three intersections in succession (Zion Rd, Burke Rd and Commonwealth Rd). That doesn't seem to make sense to me but maybe I'm missing something. This is only an example, I find it throughout the area. It delays traffic and is very frustrating to go from red light to red light when on a same road going the speed limit. What am I missing?
Dr. Gridlock: It's a common frustration. But keep in mind, traffic lights are synched for a certain speed limit, like 25 mph. If there is so much traffic that speed is not attained, synching won't work.
I'm going to give you the name and number of VDOT's traffic signal chief for Northern Virginia. Ask him. He is Mark Hagan, a very nice person at (703) 383-2872.
Hyattsville, Md.: During your last chat, you posted a message from someone complaining about pedestrians crossing East-West Highway by Prince George's Plaza in the middle of the block. While I agree that this can be dangerous and make it difficult for drivers, I do it. I do try to be considerate of drivers and not force them to slow down or stop. I used to use the pedestrian overpass, but was concerned about using it because there are often sketchy people hanging out up there, it is not cleared of snow (and even though covered, it can get a lot of snow), and there's no sign indicating if the elevator on the other side is out of order (so if you have trouble walking down steps, you're in trouble). A few months ago, colleagues of mine were using the overpass midday and encountered a gun battle there. That confirmed my decision not to use it. It was foolish to put up an overpass in an area with crime problems (I suspect this decision was made by people whose primary mode of transportation is car, not foot), since most people will not enter a confined space with the threat of crime. I suggest PG County put in a street-level pedestrian crossing at this location. I think the pedestrian crossing lights could be timed with the other traffic lights so as not to disrupt the traffic flow (provided drivers are not speeding, as they frequently do in this location).
Dr. Gridlock: The state's position is that there are already two pedestrian crossings, with lights, bracketing the overpass, and they are not going to put in a third one crossing when a servicable overpass exists.
If the overpass hasn't worked for you, by all means don't use it. Please cross at the corners. People can get hit crossing midblock.
Annandale to Ballston: Columbia Pike to left on Carlin Springs Road.
Depending on where you are going in Ballston you can stay on Carlin Springs the whole way, or get off on George Mason Drive.
Silver Spring, MD: Dr. Gridlock:
Since the new traffic light was installed on Route 29 just south of Lockwood Drive, the traffic backup is considerable worse, particularly Northbound in the afternoon rush-hour.
Was anybody in local government think about the traffic consequences of putting in the new Trader Joe's strip shopping center there? And now that we're stuck with it, is the Maryland DOT doing anything to come up with a plan to speed up traffic through the area?
Dr. Gridlock: Ironic, isn't it? The state puts up $30 million interchanges up and down the Route 29 corridor in order to eliminate traffic lights, and then allows a new one to be installed that is bollixing up traffic.
I believe the shopping center developer paid for the light, although it is tied to the state system.
Your complaints may lie with the policticians who approved that center, and whether they (a) consulted the people who use Route 29 or (b)considered the impact on traffic.
Write Douglas Duncan, Montgomery County Executive, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville, Maryland, (sorry I don't have the zip)handy. Let me know if you get a response.
Re: Gas Prices: I will tell you that I, for one, am abandining the car and moving to Metro despite the overcrowding, poor a/c, breakdowns, atc. At $2.69 a gallon for gas, the commute from Fairfax to Dupont Circle no longer makes sense (or is that cents?).
Dr. Gridlock: That's certainly worth a try. Let me know how public transit works for you...
OBX Ahoy!: Hi Ron, quick question: will my Smart Tag get me through the toll booth on the way to the Outer Banks, or am I going to be forced to pay cash only?
Dr. Gridlock: Your Smart Tag is the same as an E-ZPass account in Virginia. I'm not sure you face tolls in North Carolina.
Bowie, Md.: Dr. Gridlock, I was recently in Minneapolis, and the buses there have large signs that say that buses have the right of way when merging back into traffic from a bus stop. Is that the case in MD/DC/VA as well?
Dr. Gridlock: No, but they should.
Washington, D.C.: Question about a variation on the "stand right, walk left" rule for Metro escalators: if someone is walking left at a good pace (i.e., not running, but not slow) and someone behind them is going even faster and wants to pass, does the walker in front have an obligation to move over so the second person can pass?
Dr. Gridlock: I don't think those maneuvers are covered in any rules. Best to use common sense...
Upper Marlboro, MD: A ridiculous event occurred this morning that could have caused a couple of accidents on the Beltway: I was on the Outer Loop approaching the Baltimore/295 exit, following the speed of traffic, when suddenly, we came to a near stop. About a mile down the road, I saw police lights, and thought there had to be an accident. It was 6:15, and I was greatly disappointed, as I had been making great time on my way to Rockville. I cannot tell you how angry I was for a fleeting second when I passed the "scene" and saw three state police cars, lights ablazing, with nothing happening except a discussion between two of the officers. The 3rd was in his car. Even if they were investigating something, why would they still be running the lights!!!
Dr. Gridlock: That sounds like an unnecessary interference. I'd like to check with state police. Where were you coming from and traveling to, and where were these cruisers?
This yahoo article says that the national highway bill signed into law by President Bush, allows hybrids to use HOV lanes with a single driver.
How will this affect the planned expiration of the VA HOV exemption for hybrid vehicles?
Thanks, Rob Pixley, Centreville, Va.
Dr. Gridlock: I don't know. I've got that question in to VDOT, and am awaiting an answer. I'll publish it in the Sunday Dr. Gridlock column when I get it...
Olney, Md.: If a metro bus wants to move over and you don't yield, regardless of the law, you are a fool. That is a lot of mass to try and contend with; be safe and yield!
Washington, D.C.: What about those who intend to walk up/down escalaters on the left side, but do that annoying thing where they stop at the top/bottom and wait for the right spot on the escalotor to roll by, instead of simply getting on and adjusting your place as the steps emerge.
Dr. Gridlock: Should we enact legislation that prohibits this move, and then instruct Metro police to enforce "Improper Gait."
Sometimes we have to accept this behavior because it is, after all, "mass transit."
RE: How much space to leave in front of you when you're stopped in traffic or at a light: Regarding the complaint about drivers who leave a whole car length in front of them when stopped in traffic, I have a comment. I was always taught to leave enough space so that you can see the wheel of the car in front touching the ground. I'm not exactly sure how much space this is; probably about half a car length depending on the height of the car in front. Does anyone have a problem with this? I always like to leave at least some space; that way if the car in front of me turns out to be stopped because it's been in an accident or broken down, I still have enough room to get around him without backing up.
Dr. Gridlock: Sounds reasonable to me, unless you are blocking a left, or right turn lane...Then you should pull up.
Waldorf, Md.: One of the biggest transportation roadblocks in this region is the fact that we are so many jurisdictions close together that don't really speak to one another or work together towards the common goal. The fact that Alexandria has retimed it's traffic lights to favor "residents" on small side streets against "commuters" on a very major thoroughfare is not only unfair, it's spitefull. Same goes for DC, with all it's silly decision making (usually anti-commuter as well). We're in this together people....just because I'm not a resident of Alexandria doesn't mean I don't spend money and time there. We have to work together as a region to reduce congestion and the poor quality of life that results from it.
Dr. Gridlock: That's a good viewpoint.
Burke, Va.: I drive the same route that the other person from Burke does but haven't noticed the lights the way he does. I do work an alternative schedule so that could be why. But this plays into what you mentioned earlier about people leaving large gaps in front of them at traffic lights. I see people doing this all the time and if they'd just inch their cars forward a bit, those red lights would turn to green much quicker as they trip the sensor. I trip the sensor at those three intersections regularly which also may be why my wait at the red light doesn't seem so long.
Dr. Gridlock: My understanding is that if the lead vehicle pulls up to the painted "stop" line (just before a crosswalk), the sensors will note that.
Hybrids in Federal Transportation Bill: As I understand it, Virginia's allowing of Hybrids in the HOV lanes was technically a violation of federal law. The federal highway administration essentially ignored it. Under the new federal bill, it is no longer a violation of federal law--it will essentially be up to states whether they want to allow this. Virginia's exemption expires in 2006 and hopefully they won't extend it. Other states, however, who have not had the massive influx of hybrids might want to try to allow them on their own highway lanes on a trial basis (just as Virginia did in 2000).
Dr. Gridlock: Thanks for the insight. It will be indeed up to the Virginia General Assembly whether to extend the hybrid HOV exemption. Since VDOT opposes an extension, I'm betting it will expire.
However, I don't advocate that. VDOT's crackdown on law-abiding hybrids allows the agency appear to be addressing a congestion problem while ignoring a bigger problem--the number of law violators in the lanes. That's where the focus should be, and hammering the hybrids does nothing to address that.
Waldorf, Md.: Dr. Gridlock: I just emailed you about this but found out you were online right now so I thought I'd send the question this way.
Is there anything we can do to get the traffic lights in Brandywine fixed on Rt. 5? In the morning, leaving Waldorf, they back up traffic for miles (there are 2 lights together and do not always change at the same time) and the same happens in the afternoon heading south. It would seem that the county could make this a better intersection - or create a bridge like they have in Clinton. Who could I contact to talk about this?
Dr. Gridlock: My understanding is that there is no funding to build an interchange at that location. The state did do a wonderful job building interchanges on Route 5 chokepoints (like Allentown Road), as you know.
You can contact one of the best information officers I know: Dave Buck at the Maryland State Highway Administration. (1-410-545-0309).
Cut the cops a break: 1. you have no idea if there had been an incident prior to you reaching the scene.
2. unless you are psychic, you don't know what they were talking about.
3. if they are out of their cars, it is IMPERATIVE they have their lights on for their safety.
4. They could be waiting at the site for a variety of factors
5. There could have been a prior accident that they were investigating.
6. There could be something in the area you couldn't see.
the list is endless. cut them some slack - it really isn't always all about YOU and YOUR commute.
Dr. Gridlock: Thanks for another view.
Oakton, Va.: "Bozos" using the exit lane?! I'm one of those bozos because two lanes cross a bridge, and the third lane is for the right exit prior to the bridge. "Bozos" crossing the bridge back up the exit lane, using it to cut in front of everyone waiting to get across the bride. Should I wait in line for 10 minutes until all those BOZOS get out of the way, or use the shoulder and be able to exit immediately without stopping?
Dr. Gridlock: I meant bozos using the SHOULDER, or EMERGENCY LANE. Sorry if I gave a confusing answer.
I shortened my commute by more than two-thirds.: 'Round about January I asked a head-hunter to look for jobs closer to my home (I live in Ashburn and asked for work west of Reston)
At the time I worked in Merrifield and it would take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours to get to or from work.
A month ago she came up with a job 15 minutes from my house. My life is so much better now!
It took 6 months and lots of interviews, but it was completely worth it.
Dr. Gridlock: You have won the game. Shows what can be done when the commuter is determined to shorten his commute.
Silver Spring too: For the Bethesda to SS commuter: look carefully at the map of the area, and you'll see some little-used but bumpy alternatives to East-West highway if you start up at Jones Mill.
I don't want to give away my secrets, but scrutinize the map areas north of EW Highway.
Good luck, and count on a huge tie-up at EW and 16th. There's a way around that one, too, via Spring street off 16th.
Dr. Gridlock: Thank you for the tips.
Boonsboro to Laurel: The local Frederick paper heavily advertises Hagerstown as a cheaper alternative to Frederick. There is a lot of construction outside hagerstown, especially on the south/east sides. Try US 40 or Alternate 40 next time.
For the OBX-er: There is a toll in Virginia just before the NC border. There are no tolls between the state border and the beaches.
Oh, and have a wonderful trip!!
White Plains, Md.: Hi Dr. Gridlock. Do you know of any funded plans for addressing the congestion on Route 301 north and Route 5 North coming out of Charles County and into Prince George's county? I travel this route daily and it can take upwards of 30 minutes to drive 5 or 6 miles. I'm wondering if the fact that this route crosses county lines has anything to do with the issue.
Dr. Gridlock: Don't know of any, sadly. Charles residents should make their elected representatives aware of their concerns. These reps set priorities for state improvements..
Cheverly, Md.: We're moving from PG county to Montgomery. I listen to traffic reports all the time, so I have a general sense of "worst roads during rush hour" in certain areas, but would like to know more. We will metro to work, but still be driving kids to and fro school etc. Is there any place to get solid info about traffic patterns? It makes a big difference to where we may buy a house. Thanks.
Dr. Gridlock: That is an excellent question. I don't have an answer. you might start with the county executive's office at 101 north monroe street, rockville.
my anecdotal experience is that mongtomery traffic is significantly worse than that in pg county. i'm not sure you can escape congestion, no matter where you move.
First, there's always a chokepoint on 14th Street in the evening outbound toward Arlington right in front of the Holocaust museum... There's regularly a series of busses and/or taxis that block the right (third lane) forcing traffic to squeeze through two lanes on the left. (The left lane is usually backed up because cars make left turns at the last light in DC--a truly ridiculous place and time to allow such turns.) Can't someone do something about this?
Second, any word on creating a direct freeway connection between the Southeast-Southwest Freeway and the Anacostia Freeway northbound?
Dr. Gridlock: What do the posted signs say in the "bus lane"?
The city is aggressively moving toward making that long-needed connection by building new interchanges at the ends of the 11th street bridge. Some money has been found. I suspect it will happen.
I travel the I-70 corridor every week and witness consistent backups from Frederick to Hagerstown. Fortunately, I'm always going the other direction. The new construction out that way isn't going to cease and the land use and transportation experts are understandably focused elsewhere. It's another great reason to look at commuter rail.
Re Older Couple: They had just merged onto the beltway from Rte 50 and I was one of the drivers that let them cut in front of me. Yes, the traffic was moving at a slow pace but they did come to a complete stop before they cut over each lane. This was a rear end collision just waiting to happen.
Dr. Gridlock: Those poor souls should have their driving fitness checked. Just a matter of time.
Centreville, VA: Right turn on Red? At I-66 Exit 52 for Rte. 29 South, the exit is continually backed up by people not willing to make a right turn on a red light. What gets my ire up is there is a dedicated lane for right turners to accelerate before merging with south bound traffic. However, most people don't see/aren't aware of this and wait for a break in traffic large enough to pull directly into the main travel lanes.
There is no straight through access at this light, so all vehicles must turn at the light.
Can VDOT put up traffic guides to force people to use the acceleration lane? This is a serious issue as traffic backs up sometimes all the way to I-66 main lanes. The single lane exit is then used in a dual lane configuration for which it was not designed.
Dr. Gridlock: I see the problem. What would you have VDOT do, post a sign that says, "Right Turn Okay On Red?"
Washington, D.C.: Question for Metro: do you have some magical way to fix escalators without working on them? The Judiciary Square escalator (F Street exit) has been out of service for a couple of months already, but I haven't see anyone actually working on it for weeks. And I don't see any sign of progress?
If you're going to take it out of service, you have to at least work on it. No wonder it takes so long to fix anything when it's not even being serviced for large periods of time.
10-11 a.m. should be well within work time.
Dr. Gridlock: Broken escalators is a continuing problem. It is possible that Metro is awaiting parts. I'll ask on this one.
Rockville Md.: On giving Metrobuses the right of way - I don't. That is because their drivers are often rude, drive dangerously and never do the same for me. Any opportunity I have to pass them, I take it.
Dr. Gridlock: Well, thanks for the view. It's a sad commentary on our driving culture.
How Much Space...: I was taught in driver's ed (in 1977!) that I should be able to see the entire bumper of the car in front of me when I stopped. I think being able to see the wheels is a little too much, but at least it isn't several car lengths...
Cops on the Road: More likely sitting on their butts discussing how to bilk more motorists out of their hard earned money by busting perfectly safe drivers for "speeding" violations.
Front Royal, Va: Dr. G,
Just a comment regarding gas prices -- I gave up driving mostly because of the gas prices and now I carpool from Front Royal to Arlington.
The folks I ride with (who are married) are seriously talking about getting rid of their quad cab truck and getting a smaller car for commuting because of the gas prices. There's just no way around these ridiculous prices.
Dr. Gridlock: Thanks for the feedback. I suspect you are not alone.
Steubenville, OH: I enjoy reading your chats. I travel to Alexandria several times a year to visit family living there. The traffic problems I read in your chats are not limited to the DC/VA/MD area. Per capita, we have just as many "nuts" on the road here. I am very careful when I drive I-79, I-70, I-270 and
495, and enjoy the drive down GW Parkway with
its view of the City. I look forward to
coming over there, it is realized that when one is exposed to an area daily, one gets blase' about where they are, but Washington with all the traffic is still one of the most beautiful cities anyone could visit.
Guess I am a patriotic fool, but I am proud it is our Capital.
Dr. Gridlock: Thanks for the positive views. Guess you have to commute in it to get a full perspective...But Washington is a great city, and I think most of us are proud of it.
gas prices: I know you can't do a thing about it, but what the -&- is going on with the recent spikes? before too long, we will be paying double for gas what we were paying barely 18 months ago. why isn't Congress doing something about this - instead of giving the oil companies tax breaks?
Dr. Gridlock: This is not surprising, considering the cost of a gallon of crude oil keeps rising a dollar a day. Now up to around $67 a barrel. The question I have is not why gas prices are going up, but why, in the face of rising interest rates and rising oil prices, the stock market keeps going up.
Dr. Gridlock: Thanks folks. I enjoyed your comments and questions today. Just too many to get to all of them. I will be on vacation for the next session, August 29, but will be back for the scheduled on-line chat Monday, September 12.
The printed column will continute to appear each Sunday on Metro, Page 2.
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.
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Dr. Gridlock brings his expertise in all things traffic and transportation to washingtonpost.com.
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Amidst controversy and confrontation, Israel began its planned pullout from the Gaza Strip today. Despite opposition from some religious groups and the Likud party, supporters say Prime Minister Ariel Sharon 's plan will aid the peace process. How might this impact Arab-Israeli relations? What outcome do supporters hope to see in light of Sharon's decision?
Lewis Roth , assistant executive director at Americans for Peace Now , was online Monday, Aug. 15, at 2 p.m. ET to discuss support for Israel's withdrawal from parts of the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
Anonymous: Why should Israel be given any praise or rewards for pulling out of Gaza, when the Gaza settlements were clearly illegal? Why should such criminal activity be rewarded?
Lewis Roth: Israel deserves praise for taking a step to at least partially address one of the most vexing problems that exist between itself and the Palestinians. Regardless of the reasons that are motivating the settlement evacuation, the fact is that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon--who has long been a supporter of the settlement movement--has recognized that security, economic, and demographic realities necessitate Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. This is a step that Peace Now and others in the peace camp have long advocated, and we are pleased to see it being implemented, particularly by this prime minister. The evacuation plan is costing Israel a lot of money, and it will need economic assistance to pay for the move.
Baltimore, Md.: Since Israel has withdrawn its troops from Lebanon, Hezbollah has maintained its arsenal, and continued attacking Israel occasionally killing Israelis - civilians included - across the U.N. certified border garnering virtually no outrage from the world community. Do you expect the same will happen following the Israel withdrawal from Gaza? Will the forces of the PA, Hamas and Islamic Jihad continue attacking Israel from Gaza evoking little or no outrage?
Lewis Roth: First, it's important to recognize that Israel reaped tremendous diplomatic benefits from withdrawing from Lebanon, and that although attacks continue to take place from time to time, the northern border is much quieter now than when Israel had troops across the border. If things go well--that is, if Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas manages to keep a handle on terrorist groups, if Israel provides the Palestinians with a political horizon the day after disengagement, and if the international community increases its involvement in the conflict--then there is a chance that terrorist attacks will decrease, especially from Gaza. On the other hand, if things don't go well, there is the possibility that Hamas and other terror groups will decide to increase their attacks on Israel from the West Bank. In order to avert this possibility, Israel and the Palestinian Authority need to cooperate and work to strengthen each other against extremist elements.
Wheaton, Md.: Once the withdrawal is complete and Israel is attacked by terrorists, will your organization still blame Israel as it always has?
Lewis Roth: Americans for Peace Now does not always blame Israel for Palestinian terrorist attacks. We consistently condemn such attacks and call on the Palestinian Authority to do its utmost to prevent them. We also call on the Israeli government to work with the Palestinian Authority to make sure that it has the political and logistical support it needs to carry out this task.
Lyon, France: Since you liberal Americans believe Israel should carve out sections of its territory to create a state for the Arabs within its borders, wouldn't it also be fair for Iraq, Syria, Yemen and other Arab states to do the same for the Jews living within their borders? You do want a "fair" settlement, don't you?
Lewis Roth: Your question assumes that Israel has internationally recognized borders. Unfortunately, after so many years since its establishment, it doesn't have such boundaries. One of the goals of the peace process is to allow Israel to have secure, internationally recognized borders. Ironically, only an agreement with the Palestinians can deliver this--the status quo will not suffice and it cannot be done unilaterally.
Washington, D.C. Israelis moving out. . . : So where will they all move to? I assume they have invested in the homes they no longer are allowed to live in. Where are they going to move to now and who will pay them for the land/homes they are giving up?
Lewis Roth: The Israeli government has invested a tremendous amount of time and effort to find housing solutions for each of the Gaza settler families, as well as to relocate businesses and farms. Many of these people will be moving to communities in the Negev and perhaps some to the Galilee region. Israel has been very generous with the compensation offers that it has made to the settlers, even though many of them have not taken advantage of the offers before them due to ideological concerns.
Cincinnati, Ohio: Has Israel reserved the right and will it maintain the capacity to reenter Gaza militarily if necessary to prevent it becoming a staging ground for future attacks?
Lewis Roth: Israel has reserved the right to use its military in self-defense against attacks coming from Gaza in the future. There is a greater chance that once the settlers and soldiers have departed, Israel will rely more on aerial strikes to counter such attacks. Avoiding these kinds of attacks and counter-attacks is another good reason for Israel and the Palestinian Authority to deepen their security cooperation.
Warner, N.H.: My grandmother survived WWII in hiding and my mother and I taped her experiences for future generations. She recognized the frailty of human nature under duress and even admitted that clinging to old Jewish traditions may have been their downfall at the time. If she were alive today, she may have said the same about Israeli politics.
How will your organization get Jews to understand that conservative religion has no place in global politics? Lukim in Israel, Islam in Middle East, Christian Conservatives in America -- they all preach the gospel of intolerance and fuel the fires of terrorism.
Lewis Roth: Americans for Peace Now and Peace Now in Israel are not anti-religious organizations. We are Jewish, Zionist groups working to enhance Israel's security through peace. In Israel, is that the ultra-Orthodox and Orthodox tend to dominate the religious scene--and the religious nationalist block has used Jewish teaching to strengthen support for settlements. One of the challenges that we have is to recapture the Jewish debate in Israel and draw upon the progressive traditions that it has on issues like peace and coexistence. There are some people working on this issue today in Israel, like Rabbi Michael Melchior of the Meimad Party, but there needs to be more done in this field.
Washington, D.C.: Do you think that the pullout will indeed lead to a third intifada? If so, what can be done to prevent it?
Lewis Roth: The disengagement has the potential to lead to renewed peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, provided that both sides take advantage of the diplomatic opportunities that it offers. But problems could well arise if the Palestinian Authority allows armed groups to dictate the political agenda (even after upcoming parliamentary elections), if the Israeli government refuses to consider further diplomatic moves, and if the international community fails to come through with political and financial help for the two sides. There is always a possibility of violence erupting again--and it will take the best effort on all fronts to make sure that it doesn't happen.
Washington, D.C.: So, if I am a Gaza family evicted from my house in Gaza--and go peacefully--where do I go? Do I get a new house someplace?
Lewis Roth: There are temporary as well as permanent housing solutions being provided for each family from Gaza. Where individual families end up depends on their needs and their efforts to work with the government to find answers that meet these needs. There is no one solution for everyone.
Baltimore, Md.: Lewis, I just read the post article on the pullout. It said the Isreali Army would be destroying 2800 houses in the Gaza settlements. Why don't they just leave them intact - I am sure the Palestinians could use them.
I have seen this noted before also, with no explanation.
Lewis Roth: This is a complicated question.
Under international law, as an occupying power, Israel is required to leave the land as it found it--without settlements. At the same time, Israel wanted to avoid pictures of terrorists "dancing on the rooves" of the settlement houses after evacuation. Meanwhile, the Palestinians require housing solutions that provide for the needs of many, many families crowded into their communities. They need high-rise apartment buildings, not villas like the settlers built. So the solution arrived at will have Israel destroy the houses, the Palestinians and Egyptians will work on removing the rubble, and the toxic materials used in the houses will be sent back to Israel for burial.
San Francisco, Calif.: If Israel goes ahead with its plans to turn Gaza into the largest open-air prison camp in the world (no access to the Mediterranean, air, Egypt, and -of course- Israel proper), yet lay no territorial claim over that land, isn't this going to be a lose-lose situation for both Israel and the Palestinians?
Lewis Roth: Israel recognizes that it has to find solutions for movement for the Palestinians, and it has engaged in serious discussions with the World Bank, the Quartet envoy James Wolfensohn, and the Palestinians to address this issue. Not everything has been determined yet. But the Palestinians will be able to build a seaport in Gaza (this will take three years), and Israel is working to make the crossing points work as smoothly as possible for a reliable flow of goods and people. Israel is also planning to use rail lines to an Israeli port from Gaza to help the situation. More work needs to be done on establishing a safe passage route between Gaza and the West Bank, and Israel is still reluctant to allow the Palestinians to reopen the airport in Gaza. Further, not everything is decided on the border crossings with Egypt, the Palestinians, and Israel. But the international community has made clear that it will not be worth investing additional money in Gaza unless the issue of movement is resolved, and unless the Palestinians take a number of reform measures having to do with financial management, security, and corruption.
Washington, D.C.: After attending a lecture/debate on the Israeli/Palestine problem, I was left with the impression that Jews believe that the land of Israel is theirs because they possessed it 2000 years ago but was then taken from them. By this logic, shouldn't Jews support giving the United States back to the American Indians because everything we walk on used to be their land, only 500 years ago, and it was taken from them by force?
Lewis Roth: One of the important historic developments represented in the disengagement plan is that it represents the triumph of reason and reality over messianic dreams. From this week forward, Israel can point to the pullout as an example of it must put its national security, economic, and demographic needs over those who refuse to withdrawal from one inch of territory--just as the Palestinians need to come to grips with extremists in their midst who refuse to compromise in the face of modern developments.
Owings Mills, Md.: Taking into consideration Hamas's position that it is their "resistance" that has created the withdrawal, do you believe that the Palestinians public will look more favorably to compromise with Israel after the Gaza withdrawal, or will their position of demanding a 'Right of Return' and Jerusalem as their capital remain unchanged?
Lewis Roth: It's important that the secular, nationalist Palestinians represented by President Abbas have gains that they can point to as the triumph of diplomacy rather than armed resistance. Although the Palestinians will continue to demand that the issues of refugees and Jerusalem be addressed, like other final status issues, there are possible compromise formulas that can be worked out that will be win-win scenarios for both sides.
Lexington, Ky.: If 8,500 Jews cannot live peacefully among 1.2 million Arabs, why do you think Israel will ever live in peace? Those "illegal settlers" as you call them being an "obstacle to peace" are proof of Arab racism and you know it.
Lewis Roth: Israel has enjoyed the benefits of peace from its long-standing peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. Although the situation with the Palestinians is more complicated, solutions can be worked out that will provide Israel with the security it needs and the Palestinians with the freedom that they desire.
Washington, D.C. : The United States' justification for the invasions into Afghanistan and Iraq have been to spread "democracy" as a means of combating terrorism. In addition to Sharon's government withdrawing settlers to address the vexing problem you accurately addressed, wouldn't it seem likely in the Israeli government's eyes that the United States would no longer have a reason to tread lightly around this issue and couldn't continue to fully support Israel? It could be argued by Palestinian nationalists that they also are being denied a right to "freedom" even though they aren't really under overly oppressive regimes?
Lewis Roth: It could be possible that the US will recognize an increased interest in making the disengagement process successful because things may not be going so well for it in other parts of the region. The Palestinians have held several municipal and one national election so far--all given a passing grade in terms of democratic norms--and they have several more local elections and a parliamentary election coming up. Strengthening the secular Palestinian nationalists in these elections is in the best interests of the US and Israel.
Owings Mills, Md.: Do you foresee Gaza becoming a country populated by Palestinians like Jordan? Is there talk of Jordan and Gaza forming a confederation" or uniting somehow, or is it more likely that Gaza would become a country of it's own?
Lewis Roth: Although Jordan has a large Palestinian population, there is no serious talk about it forming a confederation with a newly emerging Palestinian state (although some right-wing Israelis still see this as a viable option). The treaties that Israel and the Palestinians have signed over the years treat Gaza and the West Bank as one political unit. Many Palestinians worry that disengagement will lead to efforts to break Gaza away from the West Bank--which is one reason that the Palestinian Authority is so insistent on a safe passage route connecting the West Bank to Gaza.
Tyler, Md.: Are the Jews who are forced to leave their homes in Gaza now "refugees"? Will the U.N. keep them refugees for the rest of their lives and the lives of all of their children like the Palestinian refugees?
Lewis Roth: I haven't seen any legal argument claiming refugee status for the Gaza settlers. They are not being tossed to the wind--they are being welcomed home to inside the Green Line with generous compensation and relocation packages to help ease the very real pain and anxiety that many of them have because of the process that is taking place.
Beirut, Lebanon: When my father and extended family were forced to leave their large orange farms in Jaffa in 1948, they never received any compensation for their losses, nor was there any such public outcry as there is now.
With a majority of Israelis favoring the pullout, why is so much attention being given to those who clearly do not want a two-state solution to the Mideast crisis?
Lewis Roth: The settlers and their supporters are a very vocal minority in Israel. They are highly motivated, politically astute, and well funded in their protests. It's not surprising that they have gotten a lot of media coverage. This is particularly the case when mainstream Israelis are much less likely to take to the streets over the issue and have sympathy for the personal plight of the settlers being evacuated. Still, Peace Now in Israel has been successful in some of its efforts to demonstrate majority support for disengagement, like its blue ribbon street campaign and participation in organizing mass rallies in favor of the pullout. The level of support for disengagement has stabilized over the past few weeks at around 58%, whereas opposition to the evacuation has never gotten much larger than 36%.
McLean, Va.: Lewis, many of your answers propose that only with increased cooperation will the two sides reach mutual security. Yet Abu Mazen is unwilling to fight terror in Gaza and the West Bank. Will the pull-out succeed in granting Israel security if Abu Mazen continues to refuse to fight terrorists?
Lewis Roth: Part of the problem is that Abu Mazen has the will to fight terrorism and violence, but he doesn't necessarily have means to get the job done. As several incidents in Gaza over the past month have underscored, Palestinian security forces often get their clocks cleaned in direct encounters with more heavily armed Hamas fighters. Abu Mazen has requested Israel to allow him to import more rifles and munitions, armored vehicles, and trained fighters from Jordan to strengthen his hand. He can't do any of this without Israeli permission. None of these requests will tip the balance of power between the Palestinians and Israel, but they could mean the difference in a fight between Abu Mazen's loyalists and Hamas...which is in Israel's interests.
Oakton, Va.: Some context please, who are the people that moved into the settlements, and are now leaving. Why did they go there in the first place? And what kind of people among the Palestinians will be moving there?
Lewis Roth: It's unclear which Palestinians will be moving into the areas that the settlers evacuate.
As far as who moved into the settlements from Israel, it was a mix of religious and secular folks who were given generous economic incentives to start a new life in Gaza. Just as the government was responsible for bringing them to Gaza, it also has a responsibility to bring them back and help set their lives in good order again. Israel seems to recognize this responsibility.
Anonymous: Who will be the first to stand in front of the Gaza wall and shout "Sharon tear down this Wall"?
Lewis Roth: There is no "wall" around Gaza. There has been a metal security fence for many years along the Green Line, which the Palestinians have not objected to. Additional security barriers are being built around Gaza, but in back of the frontline fence and on Israeli territory.
Marshalltown, Iowa: In the previous Gaza pullout: Opposition chat, the guest stated that Israel has no problem with Christian and Muslim minorities living on the land. With that mindset of religious superiority, how can peace be achieved if it's clear that so many right-wing Israelis don't want to share the Holy Land?
Lewis Roth: Sharing the land is not just a religious question. As Ariel Sharon and many other Israelis on the right have come to recognize, Israel will not have a future as a Jewish, democratic state unless it finds a way to stop occupying 3.5 million Palestinians. There were reports last week in the Israeli press that Jews no longer constitute a firm majority in the territory it controls. Realizing the Zionist dream of a Jewish homeland isn't possible if Jews are outnumbered or feel compelled to forego the democratic traditions that are Israel's strength.
Tyler, Md.: According to the U.N., if you live in an area for two years and are forced to leave the area, then you are a refugee. That would include the Jewish people (you call them "settlers") who are being forced to leave their homes in Gaza. Is the resistance to leave their homes giving them the right to continuing refugee status?
Lewis Roth: I'm not sure that the UN would agree that these settlers had a right to be living in Gaza in the first place under international law and therefore are entitled to refugee status.
New London, Conn.: How did the world allow the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank? The U.S. governments unconditional support of the imperialist and aggressive policy by the Israeli right-wing government has only served to worsen the situation. Will people stand up when Palestine is invaded again?
Lewis Roth: The US-Israeli relationship is strong, and rightfully so. The US has been very supportive of Israel maintaining a strong defense--but it has also been very encouraging in terms of supporting peace initiatives. Let's hope that the White House will do even more to move the two sides back to the peace table after the pullout is complete.
Whether or not Israel feel compelled to attack or invade Gaza again will depend to a large degree on how well the Palestinian Authority performs in getting militants on its side to lay down their arms and work for the common good. Israel and the US can strengthen Abu Mazen's ability to combat terrorists--and he has to show that he's willing to use his strengthened hand against militants. If the governments on all sides work together, hopefully there will be no need for Israel to feel compelled to attack Palestinian territory again.
Lewis Roth: I greatly appreciate all the questions from today's session. To keep up to date on what's happening the Middle East and with Americans for Peace Now, please visit the APN website, www.peacenow.org.
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.
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Lewis Roth, assistant executive director at Americans for Peace Now, discusses support for Israel's withdrawal from parts of the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
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Gaza's Palestinians Poised For Life With Fewer Limits
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UM EL-NASSER, Gaza Strip -- On the sandy hillside at the edge of this village, Palestinian children tumble and slide in the billowing dust beneath a camouflage-draped Israeli army post that guards three nearby Jewish settlements. "Every time our children play along that road, we worry," said Ali Abu Klaik, 50, who raised 14 children here and saw a 15th die. Once the Israelis "are all gone, God willing, this place will be better."
From this battered town at the northern end of the Gaza Strip to a wind-blown refugee camp 24 miles away on the Egyptian border, the 1.3 million Palestinians who live in Gaza have started imagining a different life after years in the shadow of Jewish settlements and the Israeli military installations built to guard them.
Starting Monday, the Israeli military is scheduled to evacuate 8,500 Jewish settlers from Gaza and dismantle those installations. After the evacuation, Palestinians will be able to move freely up and down the narrow strip and along dirt streets of villages like this one, hemmed in for years by fences and fear.
In interviews conducted recently along the length of Gaza, many Palestinians expressed hope that choices long determined by permits, curfews and road closures will soon be theirs to make. Access to hospitals and schools, jobs and markets, family and friends in Gaza will expand as Israel, which now occupies 20 percent of the strip's land, departs.
"I'm sure everything is going to change: social life, the economy, security," said Wasfi Abrak, 33, a police officer who commutes from his cement-block home here to Gaza City when curfews permit. "For the better."
Israeli officials say their own future, particularly regarding security in the cities of southern Israel, will be determined in large part by the extent of that change.
"It is in our best interest to see the people of Gaza enjoy a better life, and our relations cannot just be based on power," Shimon Peres, Israel's deputy prime minister, said in a recent interview. "What must be done immediately is to remove the obstacles, the roadblocks inside Gaza. Everything depends on freedom of movement."
In a speech Tuesday before a special session of the Palestinian parliament in Gaza City, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, urged Gaza residents to refrain from attacks and ostentatious celebration during the evacuation. Doing so, he said, would "show the world we deserve our freedom and independence."
But the sense of personal loss felt by people such as Abu Klaik will not soon disappear, and it is infusing the final days of the Israeli presence with a measure of bitterness.
Following Palestinian rocket attacks that killed two children in the Israeli town of Sderot, just outside Gaza, Israel's Operation Days of Penitence blew through northern Gaza in October. Abu Klaik said his 4-year-old daughter, Asma, lost consciousness in his courtyard after choking on tear gas thick in the streets. She could not be revived at a nearby hospital by the time he reached it through the fighting, he said.
"It was a different situation when my daughter was killed," Abu Klaik said from the same, now-quiet courtyard. "But we still want them to leave."
Most of the 5,000 people who live in this grid of cement shacks squeezed between sewage ponds and the settlements are from families that arrived in Gaza during the 1948 war that followed Israel's creation. The U.N. Relief and Works Agency, established after the war, provides education, health care and social services for nearly a million registered refugees in the strip.
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War, Just a Click Away
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"Apocalypse Now" rearranged my head when I was 16 or so.
After hearing my breathless review, my father remarked that the film was as far from a realistic depiction of war as you're likely to get. I suspected at the time that he might be wrong.
Now I know it for sure.
The proof lies in the video clips posted on ifilm.com's new section, "Warzone." For those who aren't yet hooked on Web video, ifilm.com is a site where people post video of everything you can think of from movie previews to cows wearing lingerie to the famous CNN Crossfire flap between Tucker Carlson and the Daily Show's Jon Stewart.
Warzone, which debuted last week, contains video purportedly shot, edited and submitted by U.S. and other coalition troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. And to prove the "Internet as melting pot" analogy, the site includes video filmed by (but probably not submitted by) various insurgent or paramilitary groups, including the Shiite Mahdi army.
The videos on iFilm.com are not the first "home movies" to come out of a war zone, but they show you what you can do with one good recording device, cheap editing software and the Internet as a free, worldwide distribution platform.
They also show that Francis Coppola's nightmarish dreamscape of the Vietnam war influenced a whole generation of amateur directors for whom, though they are on the ground, cinema verite apparently is not enough. The people who submitted their footage to Warzone did what no Hollywood director could get away with -- at least not yet: They turned real death into entertainment, just for us. And it is compelling.
Some of the videos, such as this one of a British "private security company" in Iraq taking a hit from a roadside bomb, are straight-ahead documentaries. There is neither narration nor explanation; the shouting you hear from the men off-camera provides sufficient commentary.
Others prove what we already knew: War is hell, but it's even more like hell if you don't have a good soundtrack. The napalm strike in the opening of Coppola's movie wouldn't be half as good if the Doors weren't playing the X-rated version of "The End" on top. Likewise, the helicopter attack scene would have been useless without Richard Wagner's most famous musical passage.
In one Warzone clip, titled "Thunderstruck in Iraq," choppers bomb the hell out of all sorts of enemy hardware, choreographed nicely to the song "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC. And whoever shot this video for the Mahdi army knew that a sobbing aria would be just the ticket to persuade more young men to sacrifice themselves in the hopes of booting the United States out of Iraq.
The two most disturbing submissions to Warzone are complete opposites in style. The first is a bit of night-vision voyeurism. A U.S. helicopter patrol takes a little time off to capture on videotape a sexual encounter between -- well, that never is quite clear, but it takes place in a convertible. Despite the grainy image, there is little doubt about what's going on. Instead of music, you get the laughter of the troops, as one crewmember deadpans on the communications system:
"We're taping it... We'll get copies for everyone."
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If you want to see real war scenes from the comfort of your home, iFilm.com has the goods. But it's hard to imagine how these graphic videos are winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim world.
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The Reality of Gangs
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THE STABBINGS of six teenagers in Montgomery County last week spotlight the brazenness and viciousness of the criminal gangs to which the assailants apparently belonged. According to one report, at least one of the victims was attacked because he had refused to join Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, the most pervasive of the Salvadoran gangs to have sunk their malevolent roots in the Washington area during the past couple of years; other reports said all six victims were members of a rival gang. Four of the six stabbings occurred in a Target store at a mall in Wheaton, in full view of horrified shoppers.
Incredibly, for a gang that was barely known a few years ago beyond Los Angeles and El Salvador, MS-13 is now believed to have about 5,000 members in Northern Virginia, Maryland and the District. This group and others are responsible for a growing number of homicides, rapes and beatings that defy the general downward trend of violent crime in most of the region's jurisdictions (Prince George's County being the glaring exception). Until now, Northern Virginia has borne the brunt of this new wave of gang brutality; Fairfax County police say gangs have made inroads into every high school in the county. But the Maryland suburbs have not emerged unscathed, as evidenced by not only the stabbings in Wheaton and Springbrook High School in Silver Spring last Friday but also by a number of gang-related murders. Gang violence has landed in this region with a vengeance; whether the authorities are up to the task of containing and combating it remains to be seen.
Northern Virginia, which has its own regional gang task force, has been helped by a robust infusion of federal funding for anti-gang initiatives, thanks largely to the efforts of Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.). In the Maryland suburbs, whose Democratic lawmakers lack Mr. Wolf's majority-party muscle in Congress, federal funding has been more modest. In both areas, though, there are concerns that the anti-gang effort has emphasized law enforcement at the expense of keeping youths from joining gangs or luring them away if they do. Those gang-fighting strategies -- prevention and intervention, in the policy vernacular -- are as important as police work. To be successful, there must be a concerted outreach to Hispanic teenagers with after-school social and educational programs that serve as alternatives to gang activity, led by trained and experienced community leaders.
Things can easily get worse before they get better, particularly if gang members switch from knives to even more lethal weapons. Authorities must accelerate and intensify policing and community programs. On the law enforcement front, local police, including in Montgomery, have been slow to recruit, train and deploy young Spanish-speaking officers who can gain the trust and cooperation of the community against gangs as well as penetrate the gang world and put potential witnesses and informants at ease. In homes and schools, parents and teachers have been slow to recognize the signs of gang membership. Community education can overcome that shortcoming. But it is important that federal, state and local initiatives receive the enthusiastic and sustained support of elected and civic leaders -- and students themselves.
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THE STABBINGS of six teenagers in Montgomery County last week spotlight the brazenness and viciousness of the criminal gangs to which the assailants apparently belonged. According to one report, at least one of the victims was attacked because he had refused to join Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, the...
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Roberts Papers Being Delayed
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Thrown on the defensive by recent revelations about Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr.'s legal work, White House aides are delaying the release of tens of thousands of documents from the Reagan administration to give themselves time to find any new surprises before they are turned into political ammunition by Democrats.
Before Roberts's July 19 selection by President Bush, there was no comprehensive effort to examine the voluminous paper trail from his previous tours as an important legal and political hand under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, administration officials said.
Three weeks later, these officials say they recognize that Roberts's record is going to be central to Senate confirmation hearings scheduled to begin Sept. 6, and lawyers and political aides are urgently reviewing more than 50,000 pages -- at the same time denying requests from Democrats for an immediate release.
While the White House plays catch-up in studying Roberts's past, it is facing complaints from some of its conservative supporters about what they feel has been a stumbling campaign for the nominee.
Sean Rushton, director of the conservative Committee for Justice, said in the days after the nomination "there was a drop-off of message and focus."
"Merely saying 'He's a lawyer's lawyer' isn't enough," Rushton said. "This is the moment to explain why so many of us feel so strongly about the judicial system in ways that can change hearts and minds of swing voters who could be added to the Republican column."
While Rushton said the White House has belatedly begun to "ramp up" its campaign, his complaint was echoed by several other conservative activists. They think Bush aides have reacted defensively about revelations highlighting Roberts's role as an advocate for conservative causes rather than making an unapologetic argument that he was on the right side of these issues.
While serving in the Reagan and Bush administrations, for instance, Roberts argued against affirmative-action quotas and other civil rights remedies that conservatives regarded as reverse discrimination, and he expressed deep skepticism about what he called the "so-called right to privacy" that underpins the constitutional right to abortion.
"They should be embracing those memos," said Bruce Fein, who worked with Roberts in the Reagan Justice Department. "They are squandering the opportunity to move public perception."
The administration had little control over the release of most of the documents that have come to light so far from Roberts's time as a special assistant to then-Attorney General William French Smith and later as an associate counsel to the president. That's because these papers had either already been made public by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library before the nomination or been cleared for release by the National Archives by previous administrations.
But White House aides are exerting full control over the documents still under their authority. Under an executive order signed by President Bush in 2001, the White House has the right to review, and in some cases block, the release of presidential papers from previous administrations. White House lawyers have been dispatched to the Reagan library in Simi Valley, Calif., where they are combing through documents that have not been released.
With the exception of documents that will be withheld for national security or privacy reasons, the White House said it plans to turn over all the documents by the start of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, and those that Senate Democrats have identified as priorities as early as Aug. 22.
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White House aides are delaying the release of tens of thousands of documents from the Reagan administration to give themselves time to find any new surprises before they are turned into political ammunition by Democrats.
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Road Bill Reflects The Power Of Pork
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Three years ago, President Bush went to war against congressional pork. His official 2003 budget even featured a color photo of a wind-powered ice sled -- an example of the pet projects and alleged boondoggles he said he would no longer tolerate.
Yesterday, Bush effectively signed a cease-fire -- critics called it more like a surrender -- in his war on pork. He signed into law a $286 billion transportation measure that contains a record 6,371 pet projects inserted by members of Congress from both parties.
At a short bill-signing event in Montgomery, Ill., Bush said the new law will allow the United States to modernize highways and roads in a fiscally responsible manner. "I'm proud to be here to sign this transportation bill, because our economy depends on us having the most efficient, reliable transportation system in the world," Bush said at a Caterpillar Inc. manufacturing plant.
Bush brushed aside pleas from taxpayer groups to veto the bill, which exceeded the $284 billion limit that he had vowed not to cross. The vast majority of the measure is geared toward road construction and public transit projects, with the money doled out over five years according to formulas designed to provide state and local governments considerable flexibility, Transportation Department officials said.
But hundreds of millions of dollars will be channeled to programs that critics say have nothing to do with improving congestion or efficiency: $2.3 million for the beautification of the Ronald Reagan Freeway in California; $6 million for graffiti elimination in New York; nearly $4 million on the National Packard Museum in Warren, Ohio, and the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich.; $2.4 million on a Red River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Louisiana; and $1.2 million to install lighting and steps and to equip an interpretative facility at the Blue Ridge Music Center, to name a few.
"There are nearly 6,500 member-requested projects worth more than $24 billion, nearly nine percent of the total spending," executives from six taxpayer and conservative groups complained in a letter to Bush urging that he use his veto pen for the first time. They noted that Reagan vetoed a transportation bill in 1987 because there were 152 such special requests, known in the parlance of congressional budgeting as "earmarks."
White House spokesman Trent Duffy replied that Bush pressured Congress to shave billions of dollars off the bill, and he said spending is "pretty modest" when spread out over five years. The transportation bill, at $57 billion a year, is a fraction of Medicare's $265 billion.
Besides, Duffy said, "the president has to work with the Congress."
But this is a significant shift from Bush's once-uncompromising stand on earmarks, which he said stymie experts in the federal agencies who otherwise could prioritize projects and fund only the most deserving. "Across the spectrum of transportation programs, congressional earmarks undercut the [Transportation] Department's ability to fund projects that have successfully proved their merits," the White House's glossy 2003 budget proposal declared, in one of several passages decrying such spending.
The wind-powered ice sled lampooned in the budget was for the sheriff of Ashland County, Wis. As it turned out, the funding had been secured by Rep. David R. Obey (D-Wis.), after an Ashland teenager fell through the ice of Lake Superior and drowned as sheriff's deputies, firefighters and his father watched helplessly from shore. The controversy illuminated a timeless truth of budget politics: What looks like frivolous spending to some eyes never looks that way to the people who requested it.
Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) was especially offended by a fanciful drawing in the 2003 budget portraying the executive branch as Jonathan Swift's Gulliver, "tied-up in a morass of Lilliputian do's and don'ts."
Byrd, who has been especially successful in steering money to his home state, angrily lectured then-Treasury Secretary Paul H. O'Neill: "The Congress and certainly this Senate is not ordinary, and certainly not Lilliputian. We're senators."
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Three years ago, President Bush went to war against congressional pork. His official 2003 budget even featured a color photo of a wind-powered ice sled -- an example of the pet projects and alleged boondoggles he said he would no longer tolerate.
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Shareholders Vote in Favor Of Unocal Acquisition
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Shareholders of Unocal Corp. voted yesterday to accept Chevron Corp.'s offer to buy the oil company following a high-profile bidding war involving a company controlled by the Chinese government.
The deal, worth about $18 billion, gives an immediate boost to Chevron's worldwide oil and natural gas reserves and production. The acquisition -- finalized on a day when oil prices reached a modern record -- followed months of negotiations and controversial efforts by Chevron and the Chinese oil company Cnooc Ltd. to purchase Unocal.
Following a meeting of its shareholders in Los Angeles, Unocal announced that holders of 77.2 percent of the company's stock voted to approve the deal.
In a written statement, Chevron chief executive David J. O'Reilly called the acquisition "an important milestone" for the country's second-largest oil company, following Exxon Mobil Corp. "Unocal is an excellent strategic fit with Chevron's assets and corporate culture," O'Reilly said.
The acquisition comes at a time of record oil prices and inflated values for energy companies, which are profiting from surging demand and tight supply. Analysts said sustained high prices would justify the acquisition while a plunge in prices would hurt the combined company's results.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, oil for September delivery closed yesterday at $64.90, up $1.83 from the day before. While that price set a record in dollar terms, it remains well below the inflation-adjusted peak in 1981. The price increase came after U.S. government reports showed declining domestic stocks of gasoline and during continued concern about the possibility of terrorism in Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil-producing country.
Unocal's board in April recommended voting in favor of Chevron's original offer. But Cnooc, eager to acquire more oil and natural gas reserves, made a play for the company in late June, offering a deal with more money. Chevron countered by enhancing its offer and fanning anti-China opinion on Capitol Hill. Earlier this month, Cnooc withdrew its bid, saying it could not overcome resistance from politicians in Washington who warned that Cnooc's acquisition of Unocal would threaten U.S. national security and violate trade rules.
The acquisition provides needed production and reserves for San Ramon, Calif.-based Chevron. Chevron's oil and natural gas production have fallen steadily since 1998, while proven reserves have fallen since 2003.
With the acquisition, Chevron's proven oil and natural gas reserves jump by about 15 percent, to the equivalent of about 13 billion barrels of oil. Daily production would go from the 2.4 million barrels a day forecast for 2005 to about 2.8 million barrels a day, analysts said.
The acquisition is the largest for Chevron since it took over Texaco Inc. in 2001 -- a combination that analysts said has helped boost Chevron's profit. With Unocal, Chevron is gaining assets that will dovetail with its own -- including in Thailand, Indonesia, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caspian Sea region -- providing management and production efficiencies, analysts said.
"This was a nice, synergistic fit into the company," said L. Bruce Lanni, a San Francisco-based analyst with A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc. "The deal worked out extremely well for Chevron in the end. . . . They acquired a fabulous asset base at a reasonable price."
Garfield L. Miller III, president of Aegis Energy Advisors Corp., a New York-based energy investment bank, said that by growing larger, Chevron gains important advantages. Larger companies are better positioned in negotiations with foreign governments that control access to oil and often achieve better credit ratings.
"You wind up getting rewarded for being bigger," Miller said.
Under the terms of the merger, Unocal shareholders could decide whether to receive $69 in cash per share, 1.03 shares of Chevron stock or a combination of the two. Chevron has said that it will hire many of Unocal's 6,400 employees. Unocal's chairman and chief executive, Charles R. Williamson, will work for Chevron in a "transition role" until later this year, Chevron said.
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Shareholders of Unocal Corp. voted yesterday to accept Chevron Corp.'s offer to buy the oil company following a high-profile bidding war involving a company controlled by the Chinese government.
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Ask Tom - washingtonpost.com
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In a city loaded with diverse restaurants, from New American chic and upscale Italian to sandwich shops and burritos on the run, finding the best places to eat can be a real puzzle. Where's the best restaurant for a first date or an anniversary? Father's Day? What's the best burger joint? Who has the best service?
Ask Tom. Tom Sietsema , The Washington Post's food critic, is on hand Wednesdays at 11 a.m. ET to answer your questions, listen to your suggestions and even entertain your complaints about Washington dining. Sietsema, a veteran food writer, has sampled the wares and worked as a critic in Washington, Seattle, San Francisco and Milwaukee, and can talk restaurants with the best of 'em. You can access his Postcards from Tom about recommendations in other cities. Tom's Sunday magazine reviews, as well as his "Ask Tom" column, are available early on the Web.
Tom Sietsema: Sorry for the delay this morning, folks. We had "technical difficulties" here at 15th & L streets.
You heard it here first: Michel Richard is going to open another restaurant -- but not until NEXT summer. It will be called Central by Michel Richard and feature the French chef's takes on American classics. "Totally different to what he is doing now," says my source, Carl Halvorson, the director of food and beverage at the Georgetown destination.
Central will be located on the corner of 11th and Pennsylvania, hence the name: The restaurant is "central" between the White House and the Capitol.
Look for a bar with cheese, meat and sushi platters; seating for more than 200 people; an outdoor terrace and ... fried chicken!
On with the show ....
I was hoping you could recommend an Afghan restaurant for a group of 6 that's metro-accessible & has some vegetarian options.
Tom Sietsema: Afghan Grill, at 2309 Calvert St. NW, does a nice job in a small space, and it's within a short stroll of the Woodley Park Metro stop. The meatless dishes include leek-potato stuffed turnovers and a combination plate of sauteed eggplant, pumpkin and more.
Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom- Hope you can get to my question on Wednesday. I have just finished reading your postcards for Barcelona and Madrid as I will be traveling there soon. Just curious how you pick the restaurants abroad that you do-through locals, your own research, recommendations from friends? Any others that you would add to the mix? Also, thoughts on El Bulli near Barcelona? Their Web site indicates that they are booked through the end of 2005 but I'm going to see if the concierge will be able to work a little magic. Do you know if it's worth the effort? Gracias!
Tom Sietsema: I typically do a lot of research before I head out of town for a Postcard visit, which tend to be short (anywhere from 48 to 72 hours) and include stops at anywhere from five to eight restaurants per city.
My advance homework includes talking to cookbook authors, chefs and writers based in the city I'm going to; scouring the Internet; and interviewing food friends who have knowledge of my destination, etc. So I land in Paris or Madrid or Minneapolis armed with a bunch of promising reservations as well as back-up ideas, in case a meal or two doesn't work out.
For my recent column on Madrid, chef Jose Andres was an invaluable source. He's Spanish, of course, but he also travels to Madrid and Barcelona on a frequent basis. Still, I also tried out places that others had suggested, too.
El Bulli is one of the most fascinating restaurants in the world. Of COURSE you should try to experience its magic!
Fairfax County, Va.: Hi Tom:
I always read your comments and different suggestions about the restaurants in the metro area and different places and until yesterday I've always liked the way you express yourself about different restaurants. But this last Wednesday I got very disappointed with a few lines you wrote for a reader who was asking about dinning choices in Hot Springs, Ark. and Branson Mo. Here's what you wrote:
"And seek out those dishes that look as if they don't belong: that Peruvian chicken soup on a southern menu, for instance, might be there because the dishwasher is from Peru and he makes it for the staff, who in turn thought it was good enough to offer to patrons"
As a Peruvian, let me tell you that I feel insulted and discriminated because of your thinking that "because the dishwasher is from Peru", what does that mean? are you saying that we Peruvians are only good as dishwashers? Let me tell you and your readers that you are absolutely WRONG. We are more than just dishwashers, and yes maybe you have seen a lot of Peruvians and south Americans running jobs like bussers, dishwashers, etc but that does not give you the right to say and imply that Peruvians are just dishwashers. Believe me, there are a lot of Peruvians and South Americans around the states who are professionals with good positions, great salaries and careers who have come to this country to have a better lifestyle and succeed. And with this I'm not saying that been a dishwasher is something to be ashamed of but the way you mentioned it, that's the way you make it sound like.
In addition, maybe the Peruvian chicken soup in something so simple that you don't like it but Peru has a variety of dishes all around it's country and if you would just take the time to try foreign food like the one we have in Peru, you will see that we have nothing to envy to those fine dinning steaks, hamburgers and different styles of French fries this country has. I really think that we deserve an apology from you though I'm not expecting one because comments like yours for us Latinos mean nothing. We know who we are and we deserve respect as any human being.
I'm not sure if you will post my comments but I just had to let you know my thoughts.
Tom Sietsema: Whoaaaaaaaaaaa there, pardner! I think you misunderstood my response.
I could easily have subbed in "Chinese" or "French" or "African" for "Peruvian" in that example -- and it was an EXAMPLE, nothing more.
I was merely suggesting that diners who find themselves on the road -- without benefit of a review or other guidance -- look for dishes on a menu that seem out of place. In my experience, those dishes have been special. They have been made popular by staff members who cook for employees, for instance -- again, FOR INSTANCE -- or they are dishes with a good story behind them.
What is the best restaurant in the D.C. Metro area to have chicken wings?
Tom Sietsema: Do they have to be American-style? I ask, because I just gobbled down some terrific tandoori wings at Delhi Club, near you in Arlington.
Washington, D.C.: It would be great if the Post made your reviews and Postcards easier to find. Maybe put up a couple of links with cryptic names such as "Sietsema Reviews" and "Sietsema Postcards." I'm trying to find your postcards because I'm headed to San Diego and L.A. tomorrow - any recommendations (or a link to the city's postcard).
Tom Sietsema: Just this morning, I spoke with my oh-so-helpful producer about making columns easier to find here. Stay tuned.
Washington, D.C.: I had a marvelous time at al Crostino, with excellent service, really tasty pasta (which they let us mix and match!), great service, interesting and good wine and a beef carpaccio that melted in my mouth it was so well prepared. Which leads to a glaring problem that both my dining companion and I noticed almost immediately: what in the world is up with the music they were playing (really loudly) over the restaurant system. It was horrid third-rate club music with an obnoxious pulsating beat and was completely distracting. Although it was a Friday night (although only 7:30) and there were a lot of people gathering at the bar, the music did a lot to refute the sophisticated yet hip feel they are otherwise successfully attempting to cultivate. Hopefully you will post this/pass it along, as it was truly unfortunate and they aren't the only restaurant that I've noticed make appalling musically choices that undermine the feel of a restaurant.
Tom Sietsema: Hey, Luigi, DID YOU HEAR THAT?
Had any interesting cold soups lately?
Tom Sietsema: Indeed I have: the tomato soup at Notti Bianche is a perfect summer dish. Pinenuts, rock shrimp and a pale green creme fraiche round out the soup and give it real savor.
Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom, I noticed that in one of the more reputable online food chats, restaurant workers (servers/hosts) are posting berating comments about diners - especially in the wake of restaurant week.
Although the customers are kept anonymous, do you think that it is appropriate?
Tom Sietsema: Everyone needs a place to vent. I'm guessing the restaurant workers feel comfortable doing so in said chats.
Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom - Loved the Chicago postcard! Were there other spots you'd recommend that just didn't make the top 3 cut? Inquiring minds want to know...
Tom Sietsema: Actually, I was in Chicago for less than 48 hours. My other two restaurant selections weren't as delicious as I hoped they would be, so I didn't write about them.
Maryland: Wondering if D.C. ASKED the manager to turn the music down. Don't complain if you didn't try to have the situation addressed.
Sometimes they forget (gasp - the horror) to turn the station or volume that was on while getting the place ready for the evening. sometimes they just have different taste. Just ask politely - amazing things can happen.
Tom Sietsema: You're preaching to the choir here!
The Postcard schedule: So, five to eight restaurants in 48 to 72 hours? That's a daunting schedule. Say you went to a city on a 48 hour trip, you have 6 restaurants booked/targeted, and the second one makes you ill the whole trip is blown? Has anything like that ever happened?
Tom Sietsema: Yep, I got sick after a Michelin-starred lunch in Paris with my buddies last year. My last meal in the City of Lights was .... ginger ale. Fortunately, I had already eaten in three good places.
Whoa, Fairfax, Va.: I took the same sentence as a compliment to the "put nationality here" dishwasher, not an insult. You've got a heavy chip on your shoulder. If anything, local expats owe Tom kudos for his constant praise for ethnic restaurants that highlight the grand cuisine from many parts of the world. You're way off on this one.
Tom Sietsema: Thanks, bro' (or sis)!
I think the chatter simply read way too much into my reply. I certainly didn't mean to insult anybody!
Washington, D.C.: Tom - Can you recommend any trendy or "right-now" restaurants in Baltimore? Maybe something along the lines of Cityzen?
Tom Sietsema: Well, Charleston just reopened after a major facelift ...
Metro Center, Washington, D.C.: Thanks for your informative chats. If you could pick two places to eat this weekend to experience the bounty of ripe seasonal local foods, what would they be?
Tom Sietsema: Carole Greenwood, Todd Gray and Johnny Monis are three expert shoppers. I bet THEY have interesting seasonal stuff on their bills of fare. (I can't believe I just used that term, bills of fare.)
Chestertown, Md.: To all those people who like crabs but always say that they don't enjoy crab feasts because "it's too much work and I never get full," here's a common-sense suggestion: At a crab feast, a traditional one that involves a lot of food and lasts a couple of hours, in the beginning, eat some hearty foods, such as a few fried potatoes, corn on the cob, fried chicken and maybe some crab soup. Then, somewhat full, sit down with a pile of steaming, spice-covered blue crabs----and just enjoy yourself. This way, you're full, you're already sated, and the picking and eating will be far more enjoyable. This is why there's other food offered at a crab feast, so you can fill up before you start picking. Enjoy!
Tom Sietsema: Useful advice. Thanks. And pass the potato salad.
Just curious...Where can I get the best sushi in D.C.?
Tom Sietsema: Sushi-Ko and Kaz Sushi Bistro are both excellent sources.
Alexandria, Va.: My husband and I just tried the new restaurant Dino on Conn. Ave. Absolutely amazing. We wound up sitting at the bar for several hours. The bartender, Chris, was amazing. The wines he suggested were outstanding. We tried at least one item from each section of the menu and everything was great - especially the lasagne. It has only been open for a month and I can tell it is going to be a popular place.
Not a publicist, just really happy to find a great restaurant with reasonable prices and a friendly bartender.
Tom Sietsema: And you're not Dean, either, right?
Washington, D.C. 20011: Ask, ask - yes but... (You knew this was coming, didn't you?)
I'll ask in some places for music to be turned down - places where I think the request will be treated politely, even if it is not honored.
I won't ask in other places. Why? Because on more than one occasion, I've had it made clear to me, and not in a polite manner, that this was indeed how management wanted the music to be, and I was an uncool fool for wanting anything else.
I prefer not to cope with that, so I will sometimes put up with it rather than ask, to avoid poor treatment.
Tom Sietsema: Yep, I knew I'd hear from someone in the I-hate-this-music-but-I-hate-being-dissed-even-more category.
Chapel Hill, N.C.: Ten of us, mostly from out of town and out of the country had a Saturday dinner at Pesce. That they could accommodate us was a marvel and we had a 7`0' clock reservation. The table wasn't ready as they were waiting for a smaller table-ful to leave so 2-3 tables could be pushed together for us. We didn't complain about a 15-20 minute wait but the occupants upon leaving made a nasty remark. We felt that the management knew what it was doing by giving us the 7 o'clock time and no one seemed to be "urging" the oc occupants to leave. What is the policy, or is there one, about honoring a reservation while not being unkind to people who are still at the table. Our meals were delicious, beautifully served an d we couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Tom Sietsema: Hmmm. Are you leaving out any details? Did anyone from your group give these diners bug eyes or say something about wanting to sit down? I'm not accusing, just asking.
Falls Church, Va.: Hi Tom,
I have enjoyed eating at Jose Andres's various restaurants since moving to Washington, D.C. almost a year ago. I was wondering if you know his personal schedule regarding where he cooks which nights, or if he always cooks at one restaurant (or if he never actually "cooks," which would surprise me). Thanks for your chats! Passing on a good tip, I took the train to eat at The Helmand in Baltimore last night for my girlfriend's birthday and it was wonderful.
Tom Sietsema: Jose Andres has a very, very full dance card. I'm not sure where he is on which nights, but if he sees this and cares to fill us in, I'd be happy to post his schedule.
(I'm a fan of Helmand as well.)
More Information, Please: You said:
"Tom Sietsema: Actually, I was in Chicago for less than 48 hours. My other two restaurant selections weren't as delicious as I hoped they would be, so I didn't write about them."
This brings up a point - why don't you tell us more about the places you didn't like as much? I know that given limited space, you want to point out the great places, but if I have a few extra meals, I may want to know what places are not so good, as well as those limited places you do actually write about. Make sense?
Tom Sietsema: If I have less than 300 words to write about three restaurants in Chicago, Berlin or wherever, why would I waste space telling you about inferior establishments?
Picture this headline: Ten Awful Restaurants in San Francisco. Would you REALLY be interested in such?
Columbia Heights, Washington, D.C.: Hey Tom. I'm an avid reader of everything Sietsema so thanks for all the great reviews and recommendations.
My friend and I have been having a debate over where the best chili in the area is. I say Ben's Chili Bowl and he says Hard Times. Can you help us settle the debate?
Tom Sietsema: Honestly, it's been a few years since I tried the chili at HT. I've never been a huge fan of Ben's soup, though.
As a chef in Washington, D.C. who has received unkind (as well as kind) criticisms from you about my performance, I find it interesting that you don't at least offer an apology to one who is critical of your work. To play Sietsema's Advocate, you could have said "employee" as opposed to a specific position(especially the lowest paid one). I agree that the chatter is a little overheated, but where is the acknowledgement that you might have had a misstep?
Tom Sietsema: I think I'm reading this out of context, so I'm not sure what I should apologize for?
At any rate, I am usually the first one to admit making a slip -- and, if you follow me on a regular basis, I have not been shy about posting anti-Tom comments in this forum.
Adams Morgan, Washington, D.C.: I'm taking my girlfriend out for her birthday to Mendocino. However, I couldn't find a review online, have you been there? If so what do you recommend?
Tom Sietsema: Quite frankly, I'm not a big fan of the restaurant. It's really hot or miss -- sometimes at the same meal.
Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C.: Just a follow up from last week's chat, Tom, I don't tip the concierge for making me a reservation at a good restaurant however nice as they are PAID a decent salary and benefits by the hotel. I also have a friend who is a massage therapist and works independently who told me that at the luxury hotels she has to pay the concierges $30 to get a client for basically a 30-second phone call to her. Her higher rate is passed on to the customer.
Tom Sietsema: I'm positive concierges rely in part on gratuities for income, and I think any tip should be commensurate with the difficulty of the request. Getting into a popular restaurant is one thing; tracking down a clown who speaks Chinese for a child's birthday party is another.
Having just spoken with one of the city's most senior concierges earlier this week, I'd be curious to know more about the situation your friend finds herself in re: massage services.
Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom. Just curious if you have any recommendations for Japanese cuisine for a romantic birthday dinner in D.C. or Bethesda. Thanks.
Tom Sietsema: I like the intimate Makoto in Washington, which offers a tasting menu of four or so courses. Bear in mind, however, that the place is very small and you'll be sitting on low, box-like seats.
Falls Church, Va.: RE: Peru
Think about it, Tom. Would you have written:
"And seek out those dishes that look as if they don't belong: that Southern-fried chicken on a Northern menu, for instance, might be there because the dishwasher is Black and he makes it for the staff, who in turn thought it was good enough to offer to patrons" ??
Tom Sietsema: Well, I might not have written those exact words, but .... something along those lines.
Is anyone else out there a wee bit tired of all this political correctness? Good Lord! EVERYONE sometimes seems to have a chip on his/her shoulder.
Reston, Va.: Just wanted to let you know about an un-fine dining experience I recently had at the over hyped CityZen. Attitude of the hostess was condescending and rude. I had made my reservations months ago and provided my CC number and agreed to the cancellation policy. When I arrived she said my reservation was at the "other" restaurant, Cafe Mozu. When I protested she again implied it was my fault, but they agree to "slide" us in for dinner. Food was okay, not spectacular. Wait service was pretty bad too. For example, I had to ask for the wine list, no sommelier ever visited us, my wife had a glass of wine and instead of asking if she would like another, they simply cleared her glass. The explained each course to the tables next to us, but for us they just put the food down and walked away. We were offered coffee after our dessert plates were cleared. Lots of other bad things happened and when I spoke to the manager about the way we were being treated, he only said they needed some re-training and gave me his card and asked us to try them again...not likely for the $$$.
Tom Sietsema: I'm getting more than a few complaints about CityZen these days. I wonder what's up over there?
10 Awful Restaurants- YES!: I would love to hear about terrible restaurants- just 1-2 sentences would suffice. Don't want to waste my time or taste buds! Plus the entertainment factor...you have a way with words
Tom Sietsema: An idea: Maybe I should devote this year's fall dining guide to the overpriced, over-rated and underwhelming restaurants in the area?
Silver Spring, Md.: I think the Fairfax's Peruvian poster was not pleased with the example of a "dishwasher from Peru". Regarding the Hot Spring or Branson restaurants, you could have said "General Manager is from Peru", "Head Bartender from Peru", or "Sous-Chef from Peru", all likely candidates for preparing (or contributing to) the staff meal which leads to a new, unique, menu item. Instead you chose dishwasher, which I believe to have been a poor choice. I'm sure you didn't mean to insult anyone, but still a poor choice of words in the US, where a dishwasher is not a highly looked upon position by the general public. I'm sure any Chef knows what value a good dishwasher is to the operations of the commercial kitchen, most people, unfortunately, do not.
Tom Sietsema: Dishwashers ROCK! Ask any restaurateur. Would he/she rather have a line cook call in sick or a dishwasher? (No offense to line cooks now ...)
Besides, a lot of dishwashers move up the ranks and go on to assume top kitchen positions. There's absolutely no shame in hard, honest work.
Lorton, Va.: Two things Tom first I had a amazing experience at IndeBleu unbelievable staff and the most amazing food that I've had in Washington, D.C. in a long time, but watching my fellow customers when are you going to tell people how to be good guests I saw some crazy, impolite,and poor behavior from some of the people, you often give waiters a tough time share the wealth.
Tom Sietsema: I hear you! I almost ripped a cell phone out of a diner's palm last night. Not all diners are created equal, for sure.
Peru, NW Washington, D.C.: As an Argentinean, I am deeply offended by your comments about the Peruvian dishwasher's chicken shop. As all South Americans know, the chicken soup in Argentina is far superior to that of Peru, or even Chile.
So yes, to answer your question, there are others out here who are a wee bit tired of all this political correctness.
Ay Dios: Look, I'm Peruvian and guess what, we have dishwashers all over this country, as well as diplomats, doctors and, yes, even maids!.... Tom has been an amazing supporter of Peruvian food in the area (think Flor de la Canela, El Chalan)... And he's right about good food with a story, whether anyone likes it or not. It probably is there for a reason and doesn't come from the nice Southern Belle down the street. It probably comes from someone connected with the restaurant not the chef.
Tom Sietsema: Whew! Gracias, senor.
Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.: No chip on my shoulder! A group from my office took advantage of Restaurant Week to visit Ceiba on Friday. The place was packed, yet the service was prompt, professional, and cordial. Virtually the entire menu was available for $20.05, which was a terrific bargain. The food was excellent, and everything about our experience indicates return visits are warranted. Clearly not all restaurants use Restaurant Week to pawn off inferior food and limit choices.
Tom Sietsema: Hats off to Ceiba!
Re Kaz Sushi Bistro: I'm surprised you recommend this place. I guess this means you don't like to have any fish in your sushi? They do have great rice and seaweed rolling paper, but the amount of fish contained in their rolls and sushi pieces was unbelievably disappointing when I got my meal (and then my bill).
Tom Sietsema: Funny, I hadn't noticed small fish portions on my last visit.
New York, N.Y.: Dear Tom:
"A clown who speaks Chinese"? So what are you saying Tom? That all Chinese are clowns? Many of us are hardworking executives, doctors, software engineers, public officials, investment bankers, dishwashers, etc. I think you owe the entire Chinese community an apology for your assumption that only all Chinese-speaking persons can only find employment as clowns!
Next time, please consider saying, "a clown who speaks Spanish with a Peruvian dialect" or something like that.
Alcova Heights, Arlington, Va.: Had the nicest surprise at Kaz last Saturday, besides the food. Michel Richard came in at 9:30 and sat down at the counter next to use for dinner. Guess things finished early for him at Citronelle that night. Very fun to see him interact with Kaz.
Tom Sietsema: Michel Richard is a national treasure.
Washington, D.C.: This question comes to you from a restaurant insider with regard to how to handle difficult customers. It seems like your chats frequently focus on customer complaints against restaurants, but what about the other side. The other day one of my colleagues, a waitress, served a table where the guest brought in a coupon. The guest could not understand why the tax amount was so high and therefore had difficulty calculating a tip. He argued with her about the tax as though it was her fault that D.C. tax is 10%. In the end he wrote "Idiot" on his check and left. What can restaurants do to deter such abuse? This example is truly just the tip of the iceberg, but an incident that is like far too many others. Wait staff and management have to smile and allow themselves to be walked all over for fear of the repercussions and threats by customers that they will write to you. What's a restaurant to do?
Tom Sietsema: I like New York restaurateur Danny Meyer's approach: He takes really good care of his staff so that the staff takes really good care of his customers. And he doesn't allow diners to abuse his employees. Writing "idiot" on a bill is abuse. The guy deserved a talking to.
(I'm going longer, to account for the earlier delay, by the way.)
Woodley Park, Washington, D.C.: Tom,
Love the chats! I have been awaiting my chance to try Corduroy for the first time, and you mentioned last week that they may have extended their RW through this week... is it true???
Tom Sietsema: Why would I tell you that if it WASN'T true?
My source is the chef himself.
Washington, D.C.: Just to comment on loud music.....as a 25 year old, I WISH more restaurants had this in Washington, D.C.! It is exactly what is missing from D.C. restaurants to make the hip and cool. Coming from New York, restaurants have such loud music and so much energy, you feel like you are in a club. That makes it fun and trendy and a great night out...so please...turn UP your music!!
Tom Sietsema: There are two sides, and sometimes THREE sides, to every situation, aren't there?
Former Waitress...: As a former waitress, I can honestly say that the night I was waiting tables and the other waitstaff didn't show (busy Sat. evening--I had to stay over from the lunch shift!)--the hardest part wasn't that I had to wait all the tables (with a little help from the manager) but that the bussers (who also washed the dishes) -also- didn't show up.
I could handle all the wait duties, but when it got to be 10 p.m. and I was bussing tables between trying to wait on folks and dropped the tub on the floor, I just wanted to cry. All for the want of a bus-boy/dishwasher. It can bring a whole restaurant to a screeching halt.
Charlie Palmer Steak: Dear Tom:
I wanted to drop you a note in regards to an experience we had with a guest during the Restaurant Week promotion last week. The guest made a reservation with us, thinking we were offering a special Restaurant Week dinner menu, which we were not. (We only offered a Restaurant Week lunch menu as we have exclusively for the past year. Please see www.restaurantweekdc.com for confirmation.)
This guest was seated at a table after having two drinks at the bar. Upon looking at the menu, the guest called over the manager and asked what the Restaurant Week dinner menu was for the evening. When the manager stated that we weren't participating in Restaurant Week for dinner, the guest became very upset. In order to make our guests happy, we offered menu suggestions that would come very close to the special Restaurant Week dinner price of $30.05. However apparently that was not enough and they demanded that they get something for free before ordering. As restaurant managers, we do every thing we can to please our guests. We thought that guiding them through the menu was sufficient because we were able to get close to the special Restaurant Week price they were expecting. They proceeded to leave the restaurant without ordering (and without paying their bar tab that was transferred to their table) and said they were going to tell everyone they knew about what happened. I am out of town August 9th - 20th, so I wanted to let you know our side of the story in case this person writes you. Also, so you know, the restaurant is closed for renovations from now through August 24th (We are creating more private dining room space).
Tom Sietsema: Thanks for being pro-active and thanks for the update, chef.
Overpriced, over-rated and underwhelming: That is definitely a great idea for a guide, especially for those of us (a majority I hope) who read your columns and chats primarily for information and don't feel the urge to write in regularly with a series of complaints or hurt feelings. But can you IMAGINE the e-mails you'd get if you did a guide like that?
That's all for today, chatters. Thanks for your patience. (And no, I didn't "sleep in" as one chatter suggested...)
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Food Discussion
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2005081019
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The weekly live discussion with the Food section staff is a chance for you to ask questions, offer suggestions and share information with other cooks and food lovers. It is a forum for discussion of food trends, ingredients, menus, gadgets and anything else food-related.
Each chat, we will focus on topics from the day's Food section. Do you have a question about a particular recipe or a food-related anecdote to share? Food talk is sizzling every Wednesday at 1 p.m.
Bonnie: Good afternoon from all of us here, lunching at our desks while we tend to your Food q's. Is there enough shrimp for you today in our section? (For some of us, there's never enough shrimp.) One thoughtful reader has already sent us a note of alarm about the directions to cook corn in salted water...care to weigh in? Are you folks salters or non-salters when it comes to boiling your corn?
Leesburg, Va.: I saw the story about plums today in the section. I make a plum tart that calls for those small Italian prune plums. Could I use some of the summer plums if I cut them into smaller slices?
Bonnie: For tart baking, summer plums won't hold their shape or color like the ones you're used to using, Leesburg, and they're harder to pit. Summer's flying by; your Italian plums will be around next month and into October.
Washington D.C. : Why didn't you include a shrimp recipe from Japan?
Judy: We love shrimp, but we didn't think we could justify a never-ending series of country by country recipes: Part 26: Shrimp recipes from Macao. Send us your recipe, we might be able to feature it in the future.
Restaurant lover: Do you ever take requests for a recipe for a favorite dish from a restaurant? I had this fabulous coconut cake at the Majestic Cafe in Alexandria and I would love their recipe.
Candy: We can ask their pastry chef if she'll share. Email me at food@washpost.com with your email address so we can send the recipe if we get it.
Palm Bay, Fl.: This chat is the best thing since the toaster. Well, except for Gene.
In regards to farmer's markets, I almost never buy anything except basic veggies at the grocery. Potatoes, maybe lettuce, broccoli. Never tomato or grapefruit. I have several veggie markets that I will make a special trip to in order to get produce that is in season. Although some of the produce might be priced higher than the grocery, fruit never is, down here. I can get grapefruit for 50 cents each, even after the hurricane damage to the groves. And, regardless of price, the quality is always better, which means that I don't take it home, take a bite, and throw it out.
I also find that I'm more willing to try vegetables that I'm not used to eating as the owners are always willing to share how they cook it. One particular place that I like carries more exotic varieties but there's also usually someone there buying them who is more than willing to explain how that particular item is used in their culture.
My vote is for more small farmer's markets and more experimentation in the way we eat.
Judith: Florida farmers markets---wow. You must get great fruits and veggies there that never make their way north. (You must have to wait in line under a hotter sun that we do too). Thanks for your thoughts.
Candy: Gosh, I was hoping you'd say we were the best thing since chocolate.
Wine Sauce: Submitting early because of a meeting. I love to make wine sauces to add to pasta or over chicken. However, I just found out that I'm pregnant and even though I know the alcohol cooks away, want to be careful. Can you suggest any wine substitute? Thanks.
Judith: Congratulations! Try vinegar or balsamic vinegar for chicken recipes. I'd concentrate on good olive oil, fresh parmesan cheese and the great summer produce for pasta.
But a chart from Cuisine at Home a colleague just handed to me suggests these substitutes: for white wine, white grape juice (I'm leaving out some weird things like ginger ale). For red wine, grape juice, cranberry juice, flavored vinegar or tomato juice. For brandy, white grape and apple juice, and fruit syrups.
Tipping: I just read about Per Se in New York attached a flat 20 percent to everyone's tab instead of letting people tip the amount they want. Is this true? As a former waiter to many cheep skates, I think this is a great idea.
Candy: We're thinking of attaching a 20 percent flat fee to our answers, too.
Actually, I just read about Per Se's new tipping policy-and it's evidently set off quite a commotion. Seems that the restaurant was tired of trying to balance out tips between the rich, over-tippers and the one-visit cheapskates. I think you'll see people liking or not liking this change in policy depending on whether they fall into the first category or the second. Also, what if your service sucked? How would display your displeasure with a flat fee?
Richmond, Va.: So I bought four of these beautiful light green peppers (longer and slimmer than a bell pepper, but not as dark as a poblano) --I was simply seduced by their beauty but I have no idea what kind of pepper they are -- worse, I have no idea what to do with them. Can you help?
Bonnie: You might have your hands on some mild, sweet cubanelle peppers. A while back we ran a quick tomatillo salsa recipe that uses Cubanelles. Here you go:
Makes 1 1/2 to 2 quarts
Adapted from the "Creme de Colorado Cookbook" (Junior League of Denver, 1987):
6 to 8 medium tomatoes or 8 or 10 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
12 firm-skinned tomatillos, large ones with their husks removed and quartered
1 small bunch scallions, roughly chopped (white and all green parts)
1 bunch cilantro, most of the stems removed
3 Anaheim (hotter) or Cubanelle (milder) chili peppers, stems removed
1 small jalapeno~pepper, stem removed
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a food processor, add the ingredients one at a time pulsing after each addition until you get the salsa consistency you're after. You can serve it right away, but the salsa tastes even better if it sits overnight in the refrigerator. The salsa can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Per 1/4-cup serving: 12 calories, trace protein, 3 gm carbohydrates, trace fat, 0 mg cholesterol, trace saturated fat, 149 mg sodium, 1 gm dietary fiber
Eastern Maryland: I'm having family from out of town visiting me in a few days and want a no-bake dessert aside from ice cream. Can you help?
Judy: Great minds. We are working this very feature, but in case you can't wait, how about a key lime pie in a crust from a store, or a chocolate mousse.
Candy: You might also consider a no-bake cheesecake. Or that '50s fave, the zebra cake, made with whipped cream sandwiched between a stack of Nabisco chocolate wafers.
Silver Spring, Md.: I'm unable to take part in your online discussion this afternoon, but I wanted to contribute some information about the Silver Spring farmers' market that seems to have escaped most people's notice although it was published in the Silver Spring Voice. I had been a customer of the Silver Spring market for almost 24 years, since I moved to the area. But there is a big difference between the "new" market managed by Fresh Farm Markets and the "old" market I knew. For the past few years, while downtown Silver Spring was being redeveloped, the old market (which used to be on a nice plaza at the Armory) had been relegated to an out-of-the-way parking lot on Fenton St. near the intersection of Fenton and Easley. Last year only five farmers came regularly, but there was a good range of produce and I always found plenty to buy. Of these five people, only one (Charlie Koiner) is attending the new market, because he was "grandfathered" in, at least for the first year (an appropriate term in his case, since he is 85 years old). The others have scattered to other markets (Bethesda, Rockville, Wheaton) that are true farmers' markets, with minimal fees and no one to "manage" them. The farmers told me that the insurance fees they were asked to pay by Fresh Farm Markets were so high that they could not make a profit on what they sold. To add insult to injury, they were also asked to give the management company 6% of their take each week. To judge from an article in the Silver Spring Voice, the farmers who are attending the new market are from much farther away: southern Pennsylvania and northern Virginia.
I can see that increased advertising and visibility is good for a farmers' market, but I don't understand why everyone, regardless of income, should be required to pay the same high fees, much less a percentage of their take. This is just a new kind of middleman, the very thing that farmers' markets were designed to avoid in the first place. I think people should know the conditions under which markets are organized so they can make their choice about which markets to attend. I have been avoiding the new market in Silver Spring and attending the Bethesda market, where two of the Silver Spring farmers have moved.
Judith: Thanks for the comments. Gives us a change to explain some of the realities of farmers markets, which can look so down-home that it's easy to forget there are costs involved. (And I'm sympathetic to the farmers).
We asked Fresh Farm Markets co-director Ann Yonkers,(they set up the new Silver Spring market you're questioning) and this is what she said. FFM requires all their farmers to have $500,000 in liability and product liability insurance. Yonkers says it's just good business practice to have insurance when you're selling to the public and trading in a public space. She also says that liability insurance is the first thing that the owners of these public spaces (whether municipal or private) ask about. Re the fees, because farmers markets incur expenses, like paying the manager of the market, who don't get much in the first place, most of them ask for some percentage of the take fee. Yonkers says that the fee they charge their farmers cover about 50 percent of the costs of that market.
Nobody said any of this was simple.
Arlington, Va.: I have a recipe for hearts of palm salad from a friend. What are hearts of palm?
Candy: According to the trusted Food Lovers Companion book, "hearts of palm is the edible inner portion of the stem of the cabbage palm tree, which grows in many tropical climates and is Florida's official state tree." Now, aren't you glad you asked?
They're kind of bland-tasting, especially the ones out of a can.
Masgoof: I can't find the curry paste called for. Can you give me a recipe so I can make it on my own? I have all the ingredients for it, just don't know what to use and what proportion. I am not a fan of curry paste, powder, etc. bc there isn't a standard formulation and every brand is different. Home cooks generally make their own anyway.
Also do you have an online picture of what the finished dish should look like? How similar is the taste to regular Indian style curries?
Bonnie: Greetings from Shrimp Tales Central.
Several Food section readers were nice enough to let us know they liked the version of masgoof that was featured in last week's Dinner in 30 Minutes (Pan-Seared White Fish With Tomato Curry). The recipe's creator suggests using 1 teaspoon of curry powder as an easy substitute for the 2-3 tablespoons of mild Indian red curry paste that are called for.
If you're up for it, puree the following in a blender: a teaspoon of Indian curry powder (which would include ground curry leaves, cumin, mustard seeds, red and/or black pepper, tumeric and maybe cloves or cardamom), a half-teaspoon of dried fenugreek, 3 cloves of garlic, a 2-inch peeled piece of ginger root, maybe a shallot or two, 2 or 3 dried red chili peppers.
As for how it looks, we do have a photo that we didn't have room to run. Either our host/pal Erin can provide a link to the image of this dish, or send an e-mail to food@washpost.com and we'll send you the image that way. The recipe makes a light sauce that colors the fish a light yellow.
Whew! Are you still glad you asked?
Washington, D.C.: Okay, here's a question only I am dumb enough to ask: The corn-on-the-cob recipes in today's Food section sound delicious -- but is a "husked ear" of corn one that has the husk still on, or husk removed?
-...Hangs head in shame while awaiting answer.]
Candy: Ok, stop hanging your head. Don't you remember from second grade when your teacher said there is no such a thing as a stupid question?
A husked ear of corn means the husk is removed.
Washington, D.C.: I need some meal/dessert suggestions for my extremely allergic family. I would like to cook healthy and summery things that don't include any of the following ingredients that could land one of them in the emergency room: nuts (many kinds), chocolate, shellfish, scallops, squid, milk, wheat, eggs, and citrus fruits. Help!
Judith: Not an easy problem, but try this: A little too late for summer, the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook by Cybele Pascal will be very helpful when it's released in September. Her recipes (stimulated by severe allergy problems in her own family)are free of dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. Don't know if chocolate and citrus are included. But this is a good place to start.
Candy: The good news for people with allergies is that there are more products on the market to try. There are many gluten-free pastas available now that you could make with a meat sauce or sauteed vegetables. There are also soy cheeses. You might also look for Asian recipes, such as stir-fried chicken and beef with rice. You might also consider Mexican dishes like fajitas with corn tortillas, or Caribbean black beans and rice.
Beach restaurants: Hi Food Section. I remember that one of you did a story a long time back on good restaurants in the Rehoboth beach area. We're headed there in a week. Any recommendations?
Walter: If you take me along I'll show you the way to American Legion Post 5 for the Saturday night-only and VFW Hall Post 7447 Friday night-only shrimp boil and later, on to Royal Treat for a pancake breakfast, all in Rehoboth.
Richmond, Va.: How long would homemade pesto keep in the refrigerator? What's the best way to store it since I can't use it all before it would go bad?
Candy: As someone who has a container of homemade pesto in her refrigerator right now, I'm your gal. Your best bet is to keep it in an airtight container. Exposure to air will turn it dark and affect the flavor. I'd say you can keep it in the fridge for several days, maybe close to a week if it's tightly sealed. Once that pretty green color starts to fade, tho, it's time to pitch it and make some more.
Bowie, Md.: A favorite way in our house to cook corn on the cob.
Take a shallow pan with about an inch of water, add the corn, cover & bring to a boil. Cook about 5 minutes, turn it over and cook another 3-5 minutes. Yummy!
Judy: Corn is my kind of vegetable, really hard to screw up. Your method sounds excellent. Personally, I am a steamer. Fast, easy, and no decision necessary on salt.
Philadelphia, Penn.: Friday, December 12, 2003, Washington Post staff writer, Eve Zibart, wrote an editorial review about The Castle Commons restaurant. In the article Eve states "only one of the handful of white-tablecloth restaurants on the Mall." I would like to know which non-white-tablecloth restaurants are on the Mall. Thank you.
Walter: For those who are hungry on the Mall, there are a number of cafeterias located in the museums. My sources tell me that the Main Street Cafe in the National Museum of American History has good variety. It's on the lower level not far from Julia Childs kitchen.
Judith: The cafeteria at the Indian Museum is terrific!
Washington, D.C.: How long can you keep fish in the refrigerator? Does it have to be cooked that very day?
Candy: Yes, if you can, cook it that day. The longer fish sits, even in the fridge, the smellier, less fresh-tasting it becomes. No more than a day in the fridge. If you can't cook it right away, it's better to freeze it.
Silver Spring, Md.: Three cheers for today's Food section. I'm always glad to see plenty of recipes rather than an article about some interesting trend or person.
I know there is controversy in the World O'Food Sections about how many recipes to include and how to acknowledge the reality that fewer people cook, but you can count me as one who still cooks and misses the old many-recipe version of the section.
Judy: We try to keep you in mind every week---as well as the people who say they never cook and want stories, or restaurant coverage, or coverage of beer . . . . you get the idea. But we do love recipes and include them in every section. Period.
For Washington, D.C.: Just think of "husked" as "peeled". You would know that the meaning was "to have the peel removed" - though I certainly sympathize with the person submitting. I've seen "boned", "boneless", and "deboned" - sometimes all in the same article.
Judy: Please say that wasn't our article.
Be careful what you ask for: ...in a restaurant recipe. A clam chowder recipe from a place in Oregon that I'd long been after turned out to be based in large part on Cremora.
Judy: Who knew what Cremora could achieve?
Maryland: If restaurants want to balance out good and bad tips (regardless of getting good and bad service) they should eliminate tips entirely and pay their employees a real wage.
Candy: That's a good point, Maryland, and evidently one that the staff at Per Se agrees with. At least one NY columnist wrote that they weren't happy with this new policy.
Oakland,Calif.: I bought a new cast iron skillet, and I heard that before I use it I need to rub the skillet with oil and "bake" it in the oven. But for how long? And can I use vegetable, peanut or olive oil instead of oil that has pork fat since I don't eat pork.
Candy: Hi Oakland. Nice to hear from the West Coast.
First, make sure you haven't bought an already pre-seasoned cast iron skillet. Lodge has a new line of already seasoned ones. If not, you need to wash your new skillet with mild detergent, rinse and towel dry, add thin coat of mild vegetable oil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. For more detailed instructions, visit the lodge Web site at www.lodgemfg.com. It's a fabulous resource,with very clear directions and pictures of what you need to do.
Woodley Park, Washington, D.C.: I was taught that adding salt to the water for boiling corn on the cob toughens the kernals. Since I salt the corn at the table, I never add it to the water. Is there another school of thought on this?
Judy: We printed it today. So far it is two to one. Two chatters say no salt, and we said salt.
Washington, D.C.: For great corn on the cob, I leave the husks on and just pop them in the microwave for 7-10 minutes (depending on how many ears you are cooking). They should be turned over and rotated once half way through cooking. I like the subtle hint of a grassy flavor too. Of course shucking involves folded over tea towels and asbestos hands!
Judy: Thanks. Microwaving was one of our suggestions today for those who hate to shuck corn and pick off all the silk that inevitably sticks to the cob. We did not mention the asbestos hands, though. Probably should have.
Reston, Va.: I am on a tight budget and wondering if you could point out a few things that can help my wallet but still keep things healthy. I'm only cooking for one. Thanks!
Judith: Lentil salad. Lentil soup (I love lentils). Omelets with vegetable fillings (not potatoes). And produce in season (it's usually cheaper, and certainly should be.
Crofton, Md.: I remember seeing an article in the Food section about someone with a very loyal following who sells very fresh fish from a truck. I can't remember when and where. Also, can you recommend places to buy the freshest best quality fish and seafood in the area? I'm trying to become an educated buyer and it seems none of the local stores can help. Nobody knows where their fish came from (except maybe in the US or not) and how fresh it is (except "we put it out on display this morning").
Walter: You must be thinking of the Salt River Lobster truck at the Bethesda Community Store at 8804 Old Georgetown Rd. on Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and at the Kensington Train Station at the end of Howard Ave. on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon (www.saltriverlobster.com. But when I put fish on the menu I head to the nearest Whole Foods Market. They do a great job.
On the mall: The East Building of the Natl Gallery of Art has a good white-tablecloth place upstairs...
Judy: Thanks, haven't been there lately.
re: Cast iron skillet: About the cast-iron skillet question, you can never season a skillet too much, even if it is pre seasoned. The initial baking with a layer of oil is good, but the pan should be treated after every use to maintain and build up the coating. First wash with hot water, coarse salt (never soap), and a scrub brush. Then heat the pan over low heat to dry it, add a little oil when all the water has evaporated, and let the oil heat up. When the oil slips around the pan easily, turn off the heat, and rub the oil around the pan with a paper towel. Let it cool and put it away. It's a lot easier than it sounds and after a while it will be second nature.
Judy: Every use? Anybody else season the pan with every use?
College Park, Md.: My mom used to steam our corn, and it tasted great, never starchy. I didn't get detailed directions before she passed on, though. I know to use a veggie steamer and a little water, but how long do you usually steam your corn for? Everyone else I know is a boiler, so I don't know who else to ask.
Judy: Three to four minutes should be plenty long enough for fresh corn. Make sure the water is really boiling.
Washington, D.C.: Naan & Beyond has an amazing Mango sauce that you can get on the side. Can you find out if this is a commercial product or something they make? They are always so busy, I don't want to ask and bother them.
Bonnie: We're fans of that mango sauce, too. The folks at N&B say they make their own sauce, which is a mixture of mango chutney, a blend of Indian spices and ... mayonnaise.
Food Section Recipes:: Is there a place where I can find all of the recipes that have graced the pages of the Food section? I've got 10 years worth of food sections in boxes...I've been saving them for a rainy day when I could go through them all and cut out my favorites. My wife, however, is losing patience with my quirky plan and is tiring of fishing out food sections from the recycling bin. In the spirit of compromise and having the good sense of self preservation, I've offered to ditch the papers if the recipes are available online.
If the recipes aren't available, can anyone recommend a good divorce lawyer? And a bad one too, I can pass along the latter....
Judy: Now that we know the urgency of this problem, we will redouble our efforts before you clog up the courts with more needless litigation. Our colleagues who run the web site are working on it. Recipe archives turn out to be very labor intensive to produce, but we all want this-- yesterday.
Cooking Corn: I always salt the water when cooking corn, but I have a friend who adds sugar to the water!
Judy: Thanks. Sugar seems to be something a lot of people add.
Think Tank feasts: I checked out some of the web pages. The events I found are as much as $1750, certainly not what you paid pay if you're just going for the food. Are there free events that you can check out? If so, which ones are most likely to host such events and how do you find out about them?
Bonnie: No need to spend big bucks, unless you're interested in supporting a particular point of view. The author of that story, Laurie Burkitt, says that almost all such think tank public events are free. Brookings, AEI, Heritage run the most programs -- keep checking those Web sites, and if you go, maybe wear something with lined pockets.
Re Eastern Maryland ice cream dessert: My mom found this recipe years ago, and has adapted it in multiple ways- cool, yummy and easy to make! And using frozen yogurt, its a -reasonably- healthy ice cream dessert.
Tear up a store bought angel food cake, and layer in a 2-part angel food cake pan (for easier removal) with your choice of soft ice cream, chocolate syrup and maraschino cherries. Freeze for a few hours.
If you drizzle the syrup in first, you get neat patterns on the top. The angel food cake soaks up the extra syrup and melted ice cream.
My family's only problem was waiting for it to thaw to cut pieces!
Judy: The original chatter who asked about no-bake desserts was trying to avoid ice cream, but it does seem a no-brainer for lots of us in this weather.
PS re cast iron skillet: Me again, who posted earlier. You can use any vegetable oil, although I'd pick something neutral like canola or corn over olive oil because they have a less distinctive flavor (which stays in the pan) and higher smoking points.
You don't have to oil the pan every time, but if you don't then you're missing the point of cast iron, which is nature's nonstick finish. If you just wash it with soap and let it dry on the rack, you'll eventually get a dusty, dry finish that's like any old skillet except stickier, heavier and more likely to rust. Scrubbing with salt and drying on a burner is really no harder than washing with soap and drying on a rack.
For Eastern Maryland: For the one needing a no bake recipe for dessert for visiting relative..try refrigerator cakes..
graham cracker crust...mix in one container of your favorite yogurt...with one packet of the same flavored jello (ie - strawberry yogurt, strawberry jello mix)and one full container of Cool-Whip....mix up, let set up in fridge and its light and delicious...
Get creative...I've even made a key lime-esque with key lime yogurt (yes they have that) and lime jello....mmm mmm
Judy: More on no-bakery. Thanks.
Washington, D.C.: When storing fresh pesto, top it with a layer of olive oil. When serving, you can either skim it off the top or mix it right in. It acts as a protective barrier and keeps everything fresh.
Judith: I second this--assuming you're not trying to save until Thanksgiving.
Columbus, Ohio: Where to find fresh fish: The fish market on Maine Avenue, of course! There's a huge selection, you can buy lunch while you're there, and there are places to park. Try it.
Walter: You're not the only one, the super selection of fish at Maine Ave. makes it a must for many Embassy chefs.
Washington, D.C.: Re: shrimp - I thought I read that it is ecologically best to buy domestic shrimp versus imported shrimp, but I have only seen imported frozen shrimp when I'm in the store. Do you know of any sources for frozen domestic shrimp? Thanks!
Walter: Whole Foods Markets, for example, sell fresh domestic shrimp, when available, that you can pop in the freezer.
Washington, D.C.: Very happy for Warren Brown and the new shows. I must say, I have had many more creative cupcakes though. Do you all know of other bakery's without so much spotlight?
Walter: For French pastries, it would be hard to beat Patisserie Poupon in Georgetown. On the savory side, don't miss their fab pate sandwich on brioche.
Gaithersburg, Md.: The white tablecloth restaurants are probably in the National Gallery of Art buildings. They are very nice.
Judy: See above. Thanks for writing.
Alexandria, Va.: Ten minutes to cook corn-on-the-cob? Where is the corn coming from? Fresh corn should only be cooked 5 minutes. I feel sorry for anyone who has never had really fresh corn. 2 to 3 minutes to heat it through. NO SALT for fresh corn
Judy: Voice of authority. Thanks.
Crofton, Md.: Can you recommend somewhere on the Md. side of the beltway where I can buy the freshest seafood?
Walter: For crabs and the catch-of-the-day head to Annapolis Seafood Markets in Severna Park, Annapolis, Waldorf and Edgewater.
Adams Morgan, Washington, D.C.: Ever since coming back from Hong Kong, I'm looking for good, fresh markets. Seeing fresh, live fish and all the wonderful vegetables at extremely reasonable prices made me wish I could shop like that every day. Instead, I have a Whole Foods that's expensive (although good quality) or a mediocre grocery store. I'm looking for markets in DC that have fresh, inexpensive produce and fish. I've seen the Chinese grocery stores in Rockville, but am hoping there's something else like it in DC. Any ideas?
Walter: Hop in the car, the large Asian supermarkets for seafood and vegetables are all in the burbs. The best is Super H in Fairfax.
Munich, Germany: As a fan of spicy Mexican food, here in Germany I can only find canned tomatillos and jalapeno in a jar. When a recipe calls for fresh tomatillos or jalapeno how can I compensate for the vinegary taste of the jarred and canned ingredients that I have to use?
Bonnie: Munich, if you substitute with jars and cans of those ingredients, you'll miss the taste you like most. If there's a Mexican restaurant anywhere close by, get to know the cook/kitchen manager. If they having fresh tomatillos and jalapenos shipped in, perhaps they could slip some to you.
Mall Restaurants: Try the one at the National Galleries or the one at the Sculpture Garden.
Judy: I need to try the Sculpture Garden one. Thanks.
Vienna,Va.: Could you talk a little more about farm share?. How do I get into their subscription list? And are there any local farms participating in this program?
Walter: To read about (CSA) Community Supported Agriculture farms go to : www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa.
Silver Spring, Md.: Can you say where the new Cakelove will be in Silver Spring???
Judith: 935 Ellsworth Drive, one block south of Colesville Rd.
Non-white tablecloth places on the Mall...: There's always Teaism, a couple blocks north on 8th and D. Great place for a nosh, a light meal, or afternoon tea.
Judy: We could publish a food guide to the mall just by polling our chatters. Thanks.
Corn opinion: NO SALT!! Also, if you've kept your corn too long (and a day past purchase is too long), you can add a pinch of sugar to the boiling water to "refresh" the flavor. Just a pinch to a large pot.
Best way to cook it: Drop the ears into the rapidly boiling water, turn off immediately and cover. It's ready in about 5 minutes.
Bonnie: Double exclamation points!! We hear you.
Pan seasoning: Every time? No. More than once? Yes. Particularly when it's new, you may have to do that several times. The important thing to remember is NO SOAP EVER when cleaning it, and dry it immediately. The best way is to heat it to dry it. Let it cool and put it away. If it accidentally gets washed with soap, you absolutely have to do the process again. Rubbing it with a little oil after washing is not really 'seasoning' it. Seasoning takes the hour long process. That's just maintenance, and you should only do that after a several uses, if you don't want the surface to become sticky and tacky.
I grew up with cast iron, and I thought that was the only kind of skillet there was. I still have one that has been passed down - it must be over 70 years old. Sometimes I have to rub it with oil.
Judy: Sound advice, although I have to admit that I have messed up and used soap a few times and my ancient cast iron pans have recovered. Maybe I am just lucky.
I'm interested in learning to make a tangy, full-flavored sourdough semolina focaccia.
An article on this would be terrific. I can do everything to my liking but the full, developed flavor. Such bread is hard to find, even from the best bread bakers. Breadline and Marvelous Market don't have the bread I want.
Judith: Maybe it's the quality of your semolina? There lots of recipes on line. And Firehook Bakery here makes it from time to time.
Quick way to cook a few ears of corn...: requiring no boiling water at all. Microwave ears with the husk still on for 2 minutes per ear, maximum of 4 ears/8 minutes. My family loves it this way, and it's so easy.
Alexandria, Va.: Funny about regional names. Where I come from your zebra cake is our ice box cakes. When I was a kid I made the whip cream green for St. Patrick's day. (Too green according to my mother). Do you find it difficult to find the cookies? Not all supermarkets carry them.
Judy: It was a bear last year when we wrote about them. We had to trek around from store to store. They seem to be more available in the winter, they last a long time.
Palm Bay, Fl.: Of course!!! You guys are the best thing since chocolate. Love the shrimp recipes today. If you get a chance to get pink shrimp or royal reds, grab them!
Judy: Thanks everybody for weighing in. Hope to see you next week.
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.
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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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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/09/AR2005080901395.html
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Boredom Numbs the Work World
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2005081019
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When Bruce Bartlett was the deputy assistant secretary for economic policy at the U.S. Treasury under George H.W. Bush, boredom occasionally drove him from his cushy Washington office to seek relief at the movie theater. One afternoon, he ran into a friend who was a senior official in another department.
"It was kind of awkward," he said.
Bartlett had a secretary, staff, an important-sounding job and the paycheck to go with it. But, like many workers, he found himself underemployed and bored out of his mind.
"There is a reason why prison is considered punishment," Bartlett said, comparing it to his former job. "You may be in a gilded cage, but if you're just forced to sit there for eight hours all day long, staring at the wall, it can be excruciating."
Be it at a desk at the Treasury Department, a spot on the factory floor, or a drab blue cubicle, boredom is a condition that can be more stressful and damaging than overwork, according to those who have studied the issue.
"We know that 55 percent of all U.S. employees are not engaged at work. They are basically in a holding pattern. They feel like their capabilities aren't being tapped into and utilized and therefore, they really don't have a psychological connection to the organization," said Curt W. Coffman, global practice leader at the Gallup Organization, whose large polling group measured employee engagement.
Bartlett's problem was that he was deputy assistant secretary for economic policy when the president "just didn't care about economic policy, only foreign policy. . . . Because the White House didn't want to do anything, there wasn't anything we could do," he said.
That problem -- a lack of autonomy and a job that has very specific instructions -- hits workers from the highest to lowest echelons of the working world. Many spend their days surfing the Internet, writing e-mails or taking care of personal business.
Bartlett spent his days writing for academic journals. Boredom has a permanent seat in many workplaces, no matter the level of employee. And people are miserable.
Kristina Henry started her career as a government contractor in the early 1990s. Her job left her so stressed, that she started grinding her teeth and was constantly looking for new work. And that stress came from the fact she had nothing to do.
"It was like Dilbert," she said. "I learned a lot about FAA regs and flight rules. And I learned a lot of acronyms. . . . . A lot of times it was just tedious, and I was thinking, I can't believe I'm here and being paid for this."
So how did she and her co-workers cope? Occasionally, they too sneaked out to movies and to museums. And she brought a copy of "War and Peace" to work. She finished it in two weeks.
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When Bruce Bartlett was the deputy assistant secretary for economic policy at the U.S. Treasury under George H.W. Bush, boredom occasionally drove him from his cushy Washington office to seek relief at the movie theater. One afternoon, he ran into a friend who was a senior official in another...
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Telecom for Tots
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2005080719
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A big part of a journalist's training is learning to avoid writing stories that ask questions. We're not paid to ask questions with our articles, any J-school prof will teach you -- we answer them.
It's a good thing this is a column because I'd like to launch today's edition with a question: How young is too young to own a cell phone?
Beats me. I have no idea. I know, however, that it just doesn't sit right with me whenever I read stories about how the billion-dollar cell-phone industry is spending a sizable chunk of that change to convince parents that their 6-year-olds need one.
The Wall Street Journal tackled this issue today with its Virginia Woolf-inspired "A Phone of Their Own."
"In the latest entry into what is quickly becoming a crowded market, wireless company Enfora LP and educational toy maker LeapFrog Enterprises Inc. are about to unveil a cell phone especially designed for kids." the paper reported. "The new phone, called TicTalk and aimed at kids ages 6 and up, joins a growing lineup of competitors that includes Mattel Inc., Hasbro Inc., Firefly Mobile Inc. and Walt Disney Co."
When I was 6, we were nearing the end of the Carter administration. Supertramp was wailing about "Breakfast in America" and we had a rotary phone that I was occasionally allowed to answer if I demonstrated proper telecom etiquette. (Mom told me that my customary greeting -- "Who is this?" -- was unacceptable.)
I remember the phone as an intimidating privilege, something that I could use but only under the strictest conditions. If the Leapfrog story is any indication, parental attitudes have gotten a little more lax.
Or maybe not. The Journal provided the background on why this is a newsworthy topic: "The race to capture the 'tween set has popped up this year, amid a longstanding debate about the propriety of giving kids their own device. Some parents like the security of having their children always reachable by cellphone, no matter where they go. But others hesitate for fear of running up triple-digit phone bills -- and worries over whom children may be talking to when they're unsupervised. Many child-development experts say the research on children and cellphones is scant but as with any new technology, boundaries and rules have to be set."
Leapfrog's phone, for example, comes with prepaid packages of minutes, something the Journal noted could be used as a reward/punishment system: "Companies say parents can reward or punish children by buying up or cutting down phone time."
It may be the latest wave of the future, but not everybody thinks it's such a hot idea.
AdAge reported that Ralph Nader's group is leading a coalition of 30 health, education and privacy advocates in a bid to get Congress to pass regulations on marketing cell phones to children.
"A letter to members of the Senate and House Commerce Committees said the telecommunications industry is targeting young children as its next growth market, a move called 'one of the worst ideas to appear in the American economy in a long time,'" AdAge wrote.
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I remember that when I was 6, the phone was an intimidating privilege that I could use only under the strictest conditions. If the ongoing marketing blitz for kid cell phones succeeds, we'll know things have changed.
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