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John Paul's Beatification To Take Place Sunday In Rome

The beatification of the late Pope John Paul II will take place Sunday in Rome. The Vatican expects hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in the city for Sunday's event that marks the last major step prior to canonization in the process to make John Paul II a Catholic saint.

Source: John Paul's Beatification To Take Place Sunday In Rome (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/30/john-paul-beatification-_n_855893.html)
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CHICAGO -- Near the end of a two-day summit here that brought together mayors and federal officials to talk about city design, the mood turned confrontational.It started when Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/29/michael-nutter-philadelphia-pension_n_855379.html), in the middle of a Friday discussion on the federal government's role in city development, turned toward the Washington officials who were sitting with him on stage and expressed his disappointment.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/30/mayors-cities-federal-aid-stimulus_n_855903.html)

Source: Mayors To Washington: Stop Fooling Around, Help Us Create Jobs (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/30/mayors-cities-federal-aid-stimulus_n_855903.html)

'Saturday Night Live' Weekend Update host Seth Meyers delivered a fiery speech Saturday at the White House Correspondents' dinner, ripping everyone from Washington players like President Barack Obama and members of Congress to media mavens like Katie Couric and Michael Bloomberg.Donald Trump served as perhaps Meyers' biggest victim of the night. The comedian taunted him for his potential presidential candidacy, saying, "Donald Trump has said he's running for president as a Republican -- which is surprising because I thought he was running as a joke." He also teased Trump for his involvement with the Miss USA pageant, sneaking in a subtle jab at Sarah Palin: "Donald Trump owns the Miss USA pageant, which is great for Republicans because it will streamline their search for a vice president." Trump, needless to say, did not appear to crack a smile.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/01/seth-meyers-white-house-correspondents-dinner-speech-video_n_855946.html)

Source: Seth Meyers White House Correspondents' Dinner Speech: Comedian Takes On Trump, Obama, GOP Hopefuls (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/01/seth-meyers-white-house-correspondents-dinner-speech-video_n_855946.html)

EXETER, N.H. -- Peter Cass could stand it no longer as he listened to the Republican congressman defend a plan to cut taxes and Medicare simultaneously."We pay much lower taxes than the rest of the industrialized world," Cass, an engineer from Durham, N.H., shouted from his seat at last week's town hall forum held by freshman Rep. Frank Guinta. America must protect its children, Cass said, and the legislation recently passed by House Republicans won't do it.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/01/tax-spending-town-halls_n_855983.html)

Source: Tax, Spending Divisions Laid Bare In Boisterous Town Hall Exchanges (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/01/tax-spending-town-halls_n_855983.html)

Marlice Van Der Merwe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlice_van_Vuuren#Filming_portfolio) is simply incredible.The Namibian conservationist has been working with injured and orphaned animals (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/animals) for years, but is perhaps best known for her stunning work with cheetahs. As the video below suggests, Marlice has a special relationship with the large cats, even rendering them docile towards the end of the clip.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/01/marlice-van-der-merwe-cheetahs_n_856049.html)

Source: Marlice Van Der Merwe Teases And Pets Wild Cheetahs (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/01/marlice-van-der-merwe-cheetahs_n_856049.html)

WASHINGTON -- Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Monday that Osama bin Laden had been living on the compound where he was killed for up to six years and expressed concern that the Pakistani government may have known."It appears that Osama bin Laden and his family could have lived there for up to six years," Feinstein told reporters at the Capitol. "This compound has been around [for up to six years] and that's the belief. I said up to six years."More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/02/dianne-feinstein-bin-laden-pakistan-six-years_n_856670.html)

Source: Dianne Feinstein: Bin Laden Was At Pakistan Compound For Up To Six Years (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/02/dianne-feinstein-bin-laden-pakistan-six-years_n_856670.html)

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3564/3360322975_9f5f2025b1_m.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/plenty/3360322975/sizes/s/in/photostream/)by Eric K. Arnold, Media Consortium blogger

The proposed AT&T/T-Mobile merger continues to dominate media policy headlines, but the wireless merger isn't the only game in town. AOL's recent buyout of the Huffington Post has raised intellectual property issues, rural communities still lack speedy broadband access, and a proposed Verizon antenna in Oakland has come under fire by neighborhood activists.

AT&T an Underdog?

Telecommunications giant AT&T is many things, and an underdog in need of federal assistance isn't one of them. Yet Colorlines.com's Jamilah King says (http://bit.ly/jOifrg) that's exactly how the company is portraying itself in its proposed $39 billion dollar takeover of T-Mobile.

In its official filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), King reports, "AT&T spends nearly 90 pages describing T-Mobile's weaknesses, while detailing the roadblocks it says it'll face if federal regulators don't green light the deal." If federal regulators block the deal, AT&T argues, its customers "would face a greater number of blocked and dropped calls as well as less reliable and slower data connections. And in some markets, AT&T's customers would be left without access to more advanced technologies."

It's hard to feel sorry for AT&T, though, since the deal has raised concerns  (http://bit.ly/f51UeM)that consumers ultimately will pay more for cell phone service, which could adversely impact (http://bit.ly/eCH3nr) low-income, minority, and immigrant users who rely on the low-cost plans currently offered by T-Mobile. If the merger passes federal muster, King writes, "it'll likely mean the unheralded return to prominence of the former Ma Bell monopoly that ruled American telecommunications for most of the twentieth century."

Competition without Competitors

As Nancy Scola writes (http://bit.ly/iJpS0h) in The American Prospect, AT&T's 381-page FCC filing essentially comes down to this: "you can have the benefits of competition without actual competitors."

Scola traces the history of the telecommunications industry, touching on the 1982 antitrust case which resulted in the break-up of Ma Bell (aka AT&T) into seven Baby Bells, as well as analyzing current media policy in Washington:

As a powerful company that just announced $31 billion in revenues last quarter AT&T retains great sway. The FCC often defers to the company's role as the founders of American telecommunications. And Congress, a recipient of large sums of AT&T cash, often seems dazzled by the company's bright lobbyists who talk in confusing but exciting ways about 'spectrum synergies' and 'LTE deployment.'

The takeaway? Congress and federal regulators need to put consumers' needs ahead of the telecoms:

In 21st-century America, mobile phones are simply far too important a technology for Washington to give them the usual treatment. With a breathtaking nine out of 10 Americans now owning a cell phone, the wireless market is one that has to work for consumers.

HuffPo Lawsuit, Boycott Highlight IP Issues in New Media Era

The AT&T/T-Mobile merger has garnered a lot of media attention, but it's not the only merger worth scrutinizing. Truthout's Nadia Prupis (http://bit.ly/jB5G8C) takes a closer look at reactions to the class-action lawsuit recently filed on behalf of Huffington Post's unpaid bloggers. HuffPo was recently sold to AOL for $315 million. As Prupis reports, "the class-action suit, filed by freelance journalist Jonathan Tasini, alleges that the posts created by unpaid writers were worth an estimated $105 million, and that the profit should have been used as compensation."

HuffPo founder Arianna Huffington is quoted as saying, "The vast majority of our bloggers are thrilled to contribute - and we're thrilled to have them."

Yet the merger--and the lawsuit--highlight one of the biggest issues facing contemporary journalism: The devaluation of intellectual property. For that reason, a number of former bloggers have instituted a boycott of HuffPo. As Prupis notes, "The Newspaper Guild of America, the National Writers Union and the AFL-CIO have all endorsed the boycott, with many of their members refusing to contribute to the web site until Huffington agrees to talk with the unions about how best to approach the changing landscape of online journalism."

Rural Broadband Access Still Slow

Mark Scheerer of Public News Service tackles (http://bit.ly/kUdZnK) the issue of broadband access in rural communities - an important topic in a down economy, since faster connectivity could result in economic stimulus for small businesses, such as livestock farmers.

A new report (http://bit.ly/mSIVqJ%20) (PDF at link) issued by the Center for Rural Strategies concludes that "communities without broadband service could be hobbled economically, losing the race to those with faster connections."

Farmers in places like Stamping Ground, Kentucky, Scheerer says, are paying for high-speed broadband, yet receiving dial-up download speeds, which hinders efforts to "streamline and economize their livestock sales."

The report essentially mirrors the FCC's 2010 findings: "broadband providers are not expanding their services in a timely and satisfactory fashion."

Activists Push Back Against Verizon Antenna

As Oakland Local's Dennis Rowcliffe reports (http://bit.ly/mqG2UW), a proposal by Verizon to install a powerful cellular antenna close to two schools and several residential units has been met with opposition by community groups.

"The residents, school parents and teachers express concerns about the potential health effects of sustained nearby exposure to increased levels of the electromagnetic frequency, or EMF, radiation emitted by the antennas," Rowcliffe writes, adding that a group called East Bay Residents for Responsible Antenna Placement (EBR-RAP) has suggested several alternate sites, all of which were rejected by Verizon.

Verizon executive John Johnson is quoted as saying, "Please note that we intend to retain our rights to the city-approved location and to use it as the project site if we are unable to identify a viable alternative after further review."

However, EBR-RAP members say they intend to keep up the pressure on Verizon until an alternate site is found.

This is a project of The Media Consortium, a network of leading independent media outlets. This post features links to the best independent, progressive reporting about media policy and media-related matters by members (http://www.themediaconsortium.org/our-members%20%5Bhttp%3A//www.themediaconsortium.org/our-members%5D) of The Media Consortium (http://www.themediaconsortium.org%20%5bhttp:0//www.themediaconsortium.org%5D). It is free to reprint. To read more of the Wavelength, click here (http://www.themediaconsortium.org/tag/the-wavelength/%20%5Bhttp%3A//www.themediaconsortium.org/tag/the-wavelength/%5D%20). And for the best progressive reporting on critical economy, environment, health care and immigration issues, check out The Audit (http://www.themediaconsortium.org/issues/economy/%20%5Bhttp%3A//www.themediaconsortium.org/issues/economy/%5D), The Mulch (http://www.themediaconsortium.org/issues/sustain%20%5Bhttp%3A//www.themediaconsortium.org/issues/sustain%5D), and The Diaspora (http://www.themediaconsortium.org/issues/immigration%20%5Bhttp%3A//www.themediaconsortium.org/issues/immigration%5D). This is a project of The Media Consortium, a network of leading independent media outlets, and is produced with the support of the Media Democracy Fund.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-media-consortium/wavelength-underdog-att-t_b_856679.html)

Source: Wavelength: "Underdog" AT&T Tells FCC That Eliminating Competitors Will Increase Competition (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-media-consortium/wavelength-underdog-att-t_b_856679.html)

A beloved Farmer's Market in the Logan Square neighborhood could lose its permit--allegedly because Alderman Rey Colon has a problem with one of the market's organizers.The City's Committee on Special Events will meet Tuesday at noon "to address Ald. Colon's opposition to the Farmer's Market being held in the 35th Ward," according to Gaper's Block (http://gapersblock.com/drivethru/2011/05/03/logan_square_farmers_market_vs_alderman_colon/).More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/03/alderman-colon-moves-to-d_n_856928.html)

Source: Alderman Colon Moves To Deny Logan Square Farmer's Market Permit (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/03/alderman-colon-moves-to-d_n_856928.html)

The Los Angeles County coroner's office is conducting an autopsy today on "mummified" human remains that were found in a dilapidated Beverly Hills home. The remains are believed to belong to Yvette Vickers, a former Playboy pinup and movie actress who has not been seen for nearly a year, authorities said."The remains could have been there for weeks or months. We're not sure at this point," a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner told Weird News.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/03/yvette-vickers-mummified-remains_n_857153.html)

Source: Mummified Remains May Belong To Playboy Playmate Yvette Vickers (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/03/yvette-vickers-mummified-remains_n_857153.html)

She had been leaving messages of varying degrees of urgency on my answering machine for three decades, but this one from Phoebe Snow sounded particularly worrisome. "Something bad happened, and I'm not sure how to deal with it. Please call me a.s.a.p." I couldn't imagine what was wrong. Previously, I would have assumed some new problem had developed with Phoebe's beloved, disabled daughter, but Valerie Rose had passed away two years earlier, so this was a mystery.My longtime tradition was never to return a call from Phoebe until I had a free hour; short conversations were not part of this singer's repertoire. But this sounded dire, so I called immediately and asked what was wrong. "Here's the background," she began. "I got a call from a local magazine saying they were doing profiles of musicians who live here in Bergen County, New Jersey. I agreed to an interview, which I did over the phone, and they sent a photographer and makeup artist for the picture, and it was all very nice".More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-north/post_1926_b_857222.html)

Source: Remembering Phoebe (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-north/post_1926_b_857222.html)

By Colin ClarkEditor, AOL DefenseMore... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/03/house-armed-services-comm_n_857212.html)

Source: House Armed Services Commitee Could Fund Alternate Engine (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/03/house-armed-services-comm_n_857212.html)

The elections committee for a union representing academic student employees in the University of California system voted unanimously on Tuesday to resume counting votes in a statewide contest to determine the union's leadership, after scores of demonstrators occupied union offices in Berkeley and Los Angeles.Members of the Election Committee for the United Auto Workers Local 2865, which represents roughly 12,000 graduate students working as teachers, tutors, and researchers, had opted to halt the vote counting process on Saturday, following allegations of election fraud from two rival factions squaring off over leadership positions in the triennial election: the incumbent group, United for Social and Economic Justice, and upstarts, Academic Workers for a Democratic Union. Yet on Tuesday, it was announced that the count would resume on Thursday, following this week's sit-ins protesting the count's suspension.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/04/vote-counting-resumes-uc-grad-students-union_n_857600.html)

Source: Vote Counting To Resume After UC Grad Students Occupy Union Offices (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/04/vote-counting-resumes-uc-grad-students-union_n_857600.html)

The theological notions of sin and redemption contain a heaviness that stems from the fact that they are mostly used to point out the faults in others, rather than to free us from the traps that prevent us from loving God.  In the ninth chapter of the Gospel of John, when Jesus leaves the synagogue after arguing about right beliefs and old customs, he encounters a blind man who is begging. In this narrative Jesus preaches a radical way to approach sin and redemption in our life of faith. It's an approach that offers a deeper way of understanding the terms. Instead of being heavy, it lifts our hearts and minds with the lightness of grace. When the disciples of Jesus see the blind man, they ask, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" The implication in the question is that if the blind man is a sinner, we don't have to respond, because the man's blindness itself is a sign of divine punishment for sin. The only pertinent question for them is, "Who is to blame?"Characteristically, Jesus uses the question as an opportunity to teach them that culpability -- establishing guilt or responsibility for sin -- is not the issue we need to address in the suffering we encounter in our world.  Jesus through his action and words reminds us all that the issue of morality and culpability lies in our response to suffering and in our ability to love with compassion, not judgment. Then, Jesus, with nothing but spit and dirt, makes a healing and soothing mud for the man. This beautiful, simple, earthy action reminds us that redemption is always possible, even when we feel incapable to adequately address the sin and suffering we meet along the way. The whole story breathes life into the old theologies of blame and exclusion written in stone. It gives us a path to walk where sin and redemption become matters of freeing ourselves, not condemning others. For the blind man, like all of us, sin and redemption were terms others used that alienated and condemned him. For Jesus, sin and redemption become the absolution that frees us to live in gratitude for a loving and merciful God.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/becca-stevens/sin-redemption-path-healing_b_857449.html)

Source: Sin, Redemption and the Path of Healing (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/becca-stevens/sin-redemption-path-healing_b_857449.html)

This post was co-written with Matt McKnight and Brett Gibson.Please note that this post is part two of two in a series (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/renny-mcpherson/the-technology-startups-g_b_853203.html) that articulates to tech start-ups the value of looking to the military and intelligence community as a client.  More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/renny-mcpherson/innovative-technologies-v_b_858060.html)

Source: As Bin Laden Raid Shows -- Innovative Technologies Are of Increasing Use -- and Value -- to the Military (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/renny-mcpherson/innovative-technologies-v_b_858060.html)

For ten years millions of Arabs were held hostage due to the acts of a minority. During this time tens of thousands of lives were lost in senseless violence that only a megalomaniac would be able to justify.Even for Arabs who had not lived in the West, essential movement in this globalized world was impaired. Arabs sensed looks of suspicion at international airports. As long queues formed passengers young and old had to take off their shoes, belts, coats, offload their laptops. Mothers were subjected to tasting their own bottled breast milk to carry it on board a plane to feed their infants. Feelings of suspicion were only compounded.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sultan-sooud-alqassemi/osama-bin-laden-he-had-it_b_858243.html)

Source: Osama Bin Laden: He Had It Coming (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sultan-sooud-alqassemi/osama-bin-laden-he-had-it_b_858243.html)

Today U.S. multinationals have more cash stashed overseas than ever before --according to several estimates, companies have more than $1 trillion in profits squirreled away in foreign subsidiaries. Many of the companies with the most money abroad -- including powerhouses from Apple to Google to Pfizer -- say they'd like to bring a large portion of it back to the U.S.This comes with a catch, however. The companies want a temporary tax holiday -- nearly identical to the one passed in 2004, and the subject of my recent paper -- that would allow them to repatriate profits attributed to their foreign operations at a 5.25 percent tax rate instead of the usual 35 percent. Most of the funds returned to the U.S. will likely be paid to shareholders rather than used for investment and new hiring (as the companies lobbying for the holiday claim). But the tax break would raise billions of dollars for the government and bring cash back to the U.S., which is arguably a good thing. (It's no secret that the Obama administration has recently made overtures to reboot its relationship with the business community, and this is one way to do it. The tax break would make companies happy, and send some much-needed funds flowing back into the U.S. economy.)More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristin-forbes/corporate-tax-system-_b_858758.html)

Source: The U.S. Needs an Overhaul of the Corporate Tax System, and a Temporary Tax Break on Overseas Profits Is Not the Solution (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristin-forbes/corporate-tax-system-_b_858758.html)

NEW YORK -- In a sweltering classroom in The Mary Louis Academy of Jamaica Estates, Queens, freshman Regina Maghirang, 15, sat down at a computer, logged onto Facebook and hit delete.More than once.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/06/cyberbullying-students-erase_n_858832.html)

Source: Erasing Cyberbullying, One Keystroke At A Time (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/06/cyberbullying-students-erase_n_858832.html)

Franklin Roosevelt was perhaps the greatest American leader of the 20th century. Turns out the guy who's playing him isn't too bad, either.Earlier in the week, Bill Murray was confirmed as playing the Great Depression and World War II-era President in the upcoming film "Hyde Park On The Hudson." (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/05/bill-murray-as-fdr-hyde-park-on-the-hudson_n_858150.html) Word was that Focus Features was using Murray's tentative agreement back in March (http://www.deadline.com/2011/03/bill-murray-phone-home-ghostbuster-3-and-fdr-await/) to sell potential co-stars, and now just days after Murray's confirmation, a second cast member has agreed to join: Laura Linney, as Roosevelt's distant cousin (http://www.deadline.com/2011/05/laura-linney-to-play-eleanor-roosevelt-opposite-bill-murrays-fdr-in-hyde-park-on-the-hudson/) Daisy.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/07/laura-linney-in-hyde-park-on-the-hudson_n_858921.html)

Source: Laura Linney In 'Hyde Park On The Hudson': Star To Play FDR's Mistress Daisy (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/07/laura-linney-in-hyde-park-on-the-hudson_n_858921.html)

(http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2011-05-06-healthlogo.jpg) (http://www.health.com/health/)Doctors and public health officials have been telling us for years that eating too much sodium can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke by raising blood pressure to unsafe levels. So how to explain a new study that suggests low salt intake actually increases the risk of dying from those causes?More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/07/salt-heart-attack_n_858957.html)

Source: Surprising Study Finds Downside To Low-Sodium Diet (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/07/salt-heart-attack_n_858957.html)

OK, stop the presses. Somewhere out there right now, in a college dorm, a young lady is going without the comfort of yoga pants for an indeterminate amount of time. And we thought this week's news couldn't get any more dramatic?What follows is a seriously funny note left for the person who dared (yes, dared) to steal the aforementioned sweatpants that we came across on Buzzfeed (http://www.buzzfeed.com/marcp2/whitegirlproblems-irl-1r1l), who appropriately dubbed it "#WhiteGirlProblems (http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23whitegirlproblems) IRL."More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/07/yoga-pants-thief-flyer_n_858979.html)

Source: Yoga Pants Thief Prompts Hilariously Stern Flyer (PHOTO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/07/yoga-pants-thief-flyer_n_858979.html)

Barack and Michelle Obama went out for a pre-Mother's Day date night in D.C. on Saturday.The president and first lady headed over to Tosca, an Italian restaurant. You can check out the menu here (http://www.toscadc.com/menu-dinner.shtml). De-lish!More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/08/barack-michelle-obama-date-night-mothers-day_n_859054.html)

Source: Obamas Go On Pre-Mother's Day Date Night (PHOTOS) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/08/barack-michelle-obama-date-night-mothers-day_n_859054.html)

Instead of a bouquet or greeting card, she'd really appreciate a new respect for the value of care, in all its forms, and a new vision for what we deserve as Americans when it comes to giving and receiving care.Today, American families celebrate Mother's Day. For centuries, we have venerated mothers for the selflessness and the tender caregiving that allows us to feel safe and to thrive. Beyond the vases of roses, the boxes of chocolate, even the spa gift certificates, we can do more for the caregivers in our families.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tiffany-williams/mothers-day-caregivers_b_858224.html)

Source: Why We Need to Think of Our Mothers as Caregivers (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tiffany-williams/mothers-day-caregivers_b_858224.html)

By my measure, the mother-daughter relationship is the toughest one in humanity. What could be more complex?  Two women -- one with wisdom, the other with a lot to learn -- and neither of them willing to learn from each other. Mother? Daughter? I'm not saying which is which, or who is who, because I've been on both sides of that fence.I've spent my entire life studying how to be a good daughter and a good mother. As a writer, I have a preoccupation with figuring out how things really work. Here's what I conclude:More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janice-van-dyck/dont-tell-me-im-like-my-m_b_857228.html)

Source: Don't Tell Me I'm Like My Mother... Yet (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janice-van-dyck/dont-tell-me-im-like-my-m_b_857228.html)

McDonald's is taking a cue from Starbucks and upgrading the look and feel of its stores, reports USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2011-05-06-mcdonalds-revamp_n.htm). The fast food giant has invested over $1 billion in remodeling its 14,000 U.S. franchises and hopes to have most of the facelifts complete by 2015.Simply put, "nicer-looking stores attract more business," (http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2011-05-06-mcdonalds-revamp_n.htm) as is proven by McDonald's newly redesigned Tampa branch, which has seen a double-digit sales boost in the past year. McDonald's sought inspiration from its outposts in France and Australia, which already have a sleeker, more modern feel.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/09/mcdonalds-look-like-starbucks_n_859342.html)

Source: McDonald's To Look Like Starbucks (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/09/mcdonalds-look-like-starbucks_n_859342.html)

Graduate students at the University of California voted resoundingly to elect a slate of reformers to lead their union, United Auto Workers Local 2865, according to results (http://www.awdu.org/election-results) released on Sunday night.Reform group Academic Workers for a Democratic Union netted almost 60 percent of the Joint Council seats and took control of the Executive Board, winning 55 percent of the vote across campuses. Cheryl Deutsch, AWDU's candidate for president, won with 56 percent of the vote statewide. The union, which represents roughly 12,000 graduate students working as teachers, researchers assistants and tutors is the largest UAW local in the West.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/09/reformers-sweep-election-_n_859648.html)

Source: Reformers Sweep UC Union Election (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/09/reformers-sweep-election-_n_859648.html)

After doing what they could to prepare, Memphis, Tenn. residents on Monday watched as the Mississippi River swelled to the highest level since 1937.The river level stood at 47.8 feet Monday evening -- about 14 feet above flood stage -- and was expected to crest at 48 feet, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in Memphis, Ryan Husted, told CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/09/midwest.flooding/index.html?hpt=C1).More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/09/how-to-help-victims-of-mi_n_859708.html)

Source: Tenn. Flooding 2011: How To Help (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/09/how-to-help-victims-of-mi_n_859708.html)

Is it possible that a major motion picture released as recently as 1995 depicting the transformation of a major American city is already woefully outdated?  In the closing moments of Martin Scorsese's Casino, we see the implosion of iconic landmarks of old Las Vegas and the debris swept aside to make way for the mega properties of the future. Goodbye Sands and the Rat Pack, hello Mirage and Siegfried & Roy. Yet by Las Vegas standards, those sparkling hotels of the early 1990s are already beginning to fossilize and feel somewhat passé. They have been eclipsed by a galaxy of chic newer properties such as Bellagio, Venetian, Wynn, Palazzo, and the ultramodern Aria and Cosmopolitan.  Vegas construction is like Jennifer Love Hewitt's dating life -- a perpetual cycle of buildup, demolition, and more buildup.I get it -- Vegas is not for everyone. But for millions more, Vegas has us under some sort of hypnotic spell. Sure, the local economy has staggered in recent years, with record home foreclosures and unemployment, but Vegas tourism may finally be bouncing back. According to the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, the city's occupancy rate in pre-recession 2007 was 90 percent, with an average hotel room costing $132. In 2010, the occupancy rate was down to 80 percent, and the average room cost plummeted to $95 -- a 28 percent decrease. Combined with 16,000 newly constructed hotel rooms since 2007, these lower occupancy rates and lower room costs, and the ensuing discounts and deals, brought more than 37 million visitors to Las Vegas in 2010, a notable increase from the 2009 level.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-kutler/vegas-travel-tips-_b_859378.html)

Source: Vegas Rules: Tips to Stretch Your Vacation Dollars (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-kutler/vegas-travel-tips-_b_859378.html)

(http://i.huffpost.com/gen/211216/REUTERS-LOGO.jpg) (http://www.reuters.com)TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) - A long-simmering movement by liberal stalwarts in southern Arizona to break away from the rest of the largely conservative state is at a boiling point as secession backers press to bring their longshot ambition to the forefront of Arizona politics.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/10/baja-arizona-state_n_859954.html)

Source: Liberals In Southern Arizona Seek To Form New State (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/10/baja-arizona-state_n_859954.html)

I broke down the NBA Playoffs on Tuesday  with Noah Coslov of CineSport (http://www.cinesport.com/).Specifically, we discussed how Rajon Rondo's injury (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/08/rajon-rondo-injury-celtics-heat_n_859042.html) impacts Boston's chances against the Miami Heat and just how heavily the Celtics rely on him.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/10/2011-nba-playoffs-jordan-schultz_n_860244.html)

Source: HuffPost's Jordan Schultz Discusses the 2011 NBA Playoffs (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/10/2011-nba-playoffs-jordan-schultz_n_860244.html)

Gaze/Mirada: to look for a long time with a fixed stare.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-gascot/her-gazesu-mirada-at-muse_b_860182.html)

Source: Her Gaze/Su Mirada at Museo de las Americas (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-gascot/her-gazesu-mirada-at-muse_b_860182.html)

Some 15-20 percent of Roku owners are cancelling their cable or satellite services agreement and are relying solely on a broadband connection to get their television programming, said company VP Jim Funk in this exclusive interview with Beet.TV.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-plesser/roku-owners-are-cutting-t_b_860280.html)

Source: Roku Owners Are "Cutting the Cord" in Substantial Numbers (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-plesser/roku-owners-are-cutting-t_b_860280.html)

Facebook users will soon be able to tag more than just people in photos.On Wednesday, Facebook announced (http://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-pages/feature-launch-photo-tagging-for-pages/10150168953654822target_blank) a new photo-tagging feature that lets users identify people or objects that have their own Facebook Pages. Previously, users could tag only their friends.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/11/facebook-photo-tag-page_n_860824.html)

Source: Facebook Photo Tags For Pages Let Users Show Their Love For Brands (PHOTO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/11/facebook-photo-tag-page_n_860824.html)

Since 2004 I have made several trips to this region: Darfur, Eastern Chad and now South Sudan.  I am here because I believe there is an obligation to "bear witness" and to take action.  One acts in a variety of ways:  humanitarian aid, advocacy for human rights and sharing the story of the most vulnerable that are desperately yearning to know that the world cares.  I got involved when I realized that the world stood by until it was too late during the Holocaust, and during Rwanda, I did not act in anyway.  Darfur was the catalyst in making me realize my responsibility to do something.   I am here to witness and understand what will happen here in the months to happen -- and to try and grasp what it will take on a human and political level.Sitting here in this lush remote village filled with mango trees (unlike much of South Sudan which is dry desert), it is hard to imagine how much blood has been spilled here on this soil -- over two million people lost their lives, and two million people saw their villages, homes and lives destroyed.  South Sudan and Darfur are inextricably linked. It is no coincidence that the genocide in Darfur began only when the north and south had just about worked out their peace agreement.   The reasons for all this are explained in lengthy papers and there are a variety of views.  The discussion is complex but for me it boils down to one fundamental thing -- man's inhumanity to man.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lee-bycel/the-birth-pangs-of-the-wo_b_860853.html)

Source: The Birth Pangs of the World's Newest Country: The Republic of South Sudan (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lee-bycel/the-birth-pangs-of-the-wo_b_860853.html)

Books on our radar: what's just come out or about to come out that we think you should know about. Some have buzz, some will fly too low, but we wanted to bring them to your attention.Let us know what books are on your radar in the comments section below.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/on-our-radar-books_n_860141.html)

Source: On Our Radar: Books Just Out Or Coming Soon We Thought You Should Know About (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/on-our-radar-books_n_860141.html)

More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/warren-buffett-the-office_n_861358.html)

Source: Warren Buffett To Cameo On 'The Office' (Video) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/warren-buffett-the-office_n_861358.html)

I've been working on a writing project that does not involve my day job at CBS News, and it's interesting to notice the different treatment I receive.For one thing, when I call or email someone and say I'm from CBS News, I get an immediate response. When I'm on my own, not as much. That's to be expected, of course, but it's still eye-opening. I'll tell you this much: I notice and very much remember those who respond to me as a person and not just as a person representing an organization.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-larosa/kindness-importance_b_852672.html)

Source: The Unmistakable Importance of Kindness (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-larosa/kindness-importance_b_852672.html)

Mount Etna (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/13/mount-etna-eruption-volca_n_808484.html) erupted for the second time this year early Thursday morning, spewing molten hot lava and clouds of ash into the sky.The eruption, which can be seen in the raw video below, was most intense between midnight and 4 a.m. GMT, according to the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13381243). The lava flow luckily only reached uninhabited areas, though the nearby town of Catania was forced to close its airport after it became covered in ash.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/mount-etna-eruption-may-12_n_861262.html)

Source: Mount Etna Erupts Again, Send Lava Flying Through The Night Sky (RAW VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/mount-etna-eruption-may-12_n_861262.html)

There are many reasons why Ron Swanson from "Parks and Recreation" is one of the best characters on TV right now, not least of which is his voracious appetite for red meat in all forms. On a recent episode, Rob Lowe's character Chris, a health nut, recommended that Swanson (played by Nick Offerman) switch from beef hamburgers to turkey burgers. Swanson's response: "Is that a deep-fried turkey leg inside a beef burger? If so, delicious."Offerman proved that he's a man of his word last night on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" by indulging in a real-life Ron Swanson Turkey Burger with a glass of scotch to wash it down, in true Ron Swanson fashion. Watch as Offerman, Fallon and guest Maya Rudolph discover how a red-blooded American man eats a turkey burger.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/13/nick-offerman-eats-ron-swanson-turkey-burger_n_861615.html)

Source: Nick Offerman Of 'Parks and Rec' Eats A 'Ron Swanson Turkey Burger' On Fallon (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/13/nick-offerman-eats-ron-swanson-turkey-burger_n_861615.html)

NEW YORK -- While one's college graduation is normally a time of jubilation, Megan Muller can more than relate to the sense of defeat that now hangs over the class of 2011.Muller, 26, graduated from Kean University in Union, N.J., yesterday with a bachelor's degree in communication. She is the first person in her family to graduate from college.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/13/college-graduates-moving-home-debt_n_861849.html)

Source: 2011 College Grads Moving Home In Record Numbers, Saddled With Historic Levels Of Student Loan Debt (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/13/college-graduates-moving-home-debt_n_861849.html)

You hear it again and again, variation after variation on a core message: if you tax rich people it kills jobs. You hear about "job-killing tax hikes," or that "taxing the rich hurts jobs," "taxes kill jobs," "taxes take money out of the economy, "if you tax the rich they won't be able to provide jobs." ... on and on it goes.  So do we really depend on "the rich" to "create" jobs?  Or do jobs get created when they fill a need?Here is a recent typical example, Obama Touts Job-Killing Tax Plan (http://www.newsmax.com/Rahn/barack-obama-barney-frank/2011/04/19/id/393325), written by a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and chairman of the Institute for Global Economic Growth:More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-johnson/actually-the-rich-dont-cr_b_861868.html)

Source: Actually, "The Rich" Don't "Create Jobs," We Do (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-johnson/actually-the-rich-dont-cr_b_861868.html)

Darell Hammond (not to be confused with the similarly named "SNL" alum) is very serious about playing around. He's spent more than 15 years establishing KaBOOM! (http://kaboom.org/about_kaboom/our_mission_vision), the nonprofit he founded in 1996, as a national leader in civic development, building playgrounds from the ground up for communities in need, and encouraging kids, and adults, to play as much as they can."This work has given me a sense of purpose," Darell told The Huffington Post, in an interview on Thursday. "Playgrounds are an example of what's possible in these desperate times."More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/13/huffpost-greatest-person-_n_861878.html)

Source: HuffPost Greatest Person Of The Day: Darell Hammond And KaBOOM! Want You To Play (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/13/huffpost-greatest-person-_n_861878.html)

Is "revenge surgery" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/12/revenge-surgery-popular-a_n_848238.html) a growing trend? According to a study by the Transform Cosmetic Group in Britain, 26 percent of people getting plastic surgery are newly divorced (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/plastic-surgery-divorce-revenge-confidence-boost/story?id=13571751) women.ABC's Ashleigh Banfield (http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/divorced-women-seeking-revenge-surgery-13596315) spoke to several women about their post-split operations, including Alicia Hunter, a single mother of two who lost 60 pounds and got breast implants and Botox after her divorce.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/13/revenge-surgery-women-goi_n_861894.html)

Source: Revenge Surgery: Women Going Under The Knife Post Divorce (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/13/revenge-surgery-women-goi_n_861894.html)

Your boss is evil. Your spouse is lazy. Your teenager doesn't listen. Your best friend won't return your calls. Your relationships are complicated. Any attempt to create lasting harmony when facing the inevitable flaws and countless complexities of another human being can make you feel powerless. But before you condemn yourself to a lifetime of solitude, consider this: the one common denominator in all of life's miscommunications, arguments, break-ups and falling-outs is also the one thing that you have control over: you.Yes, we will all face many an injustice at our jobs, and yes, we will probably date at least one person who treats us poorly. We will have to deal with a cranky salesperson and withstand an unruly family member. It is easy to feel victimized by our lives, especially when we find ourselves at one of life's low points and we are pouring all of our energy into just picking ourselves back up again. But how much of our destiny do we control? How much are we victims of circumstance and how much are we victims of ourselves?More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-firestone/critical-inner-voice_b_861937.html)

Source: Your Critical Inner Voice: Are You Letting It Sabotage Your Relationships? (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-firestone/critical-inner-voice_b_861937.html)

NORTH HOLLYWOOD (KTLA) -- Police are searching for a suspect Saturday morning after a fight ended with an officer being assaulted and another victim hospitalized.Officers responded to a fight call around 3:20 a.m. Saturday at the Hacienda Corona Nightclub on the 11600 block of Friar Street.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/14/man-runs-over-friend-offi_n_862019.html)

Source: Man Runs Over Friend, Officer After Nightclub Fight (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/14/man-runs-over-friend-offi_n_862019.html)

Fight fans in Las Vegas last weekend were drawn to the WBO welterweight title fight between Manny Pacquiao and Sugar Shane Mosley at the famous MGM Grand Garden Arena. However, it was another fight that same day -- an impromptu match on the Vegas Strip involving a masked caped crusader -- that has gone viral.The video, (scroll down to watch) posted on YouTube earlier this week by Marcus DeWayne Pace (http://www.facebook.com/MrMarcusPace) of Huntsville, Texas, shows a single-round brawl between an unidentified male in a white shirt and a street performer dressed as Batman.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/14/batman-beatdown-video_n_861944.html)

Source: 'Batman' Gets Beatdown On Las Vegas Strip (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/14/batman-beatdown-video_n_861944.html)

Sure, you can have a leisurely day poolside at the local YMCA -- or you can get seriously wet 'n' wild at one of these local water parks. We choose the latter.Water World: Set an entire day aside for an adventure at this gargantuan park. With 67 acres, it's one of the nation's largest water parks (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/www.waterworldcolorado.com): lazy river, water-themed fun house, a slew of thrill rides – think tidal wave-inducing roller coasters – and gravity-defying slides, as well as a couple of wave pools. Check online for height restrictions for the more extreme experiences; head to North Shore's Wally World for a calm day with little ones.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/15/denvers-best-water-parks_n_862106.html)

Source: Ready For Summer? Denver's Best Water Parks (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/15/denvers-best-water-parks_n_862106.html)

Paris -- The apparent self-destruction of Dominique Strauss-Kahn in a New York hotel is emblematic of a European left that has ceased to be much of a progressive alternative, either in terms of lifestyle or policy alternatives. Strauss-Kahn was the Socialist front-runner to challenge French President Nicolas Sarkozy next year. Polls showed that Strauss-Kahn was the only socialist who could beat both Sarkozy and far right populist Marine Le Pen.But even before this latest scandal broke, Strauss-Kahn didn't seem like much of a socialist. Last week, the press caught DSK, as the local press calls him, and his wife tooling around in a borrowed $150,000 Porsche, which reinforced his image as wealthy playboy. In 2008, Strauss-Kahn barely survived a widely publicized affair with one of his IMF employees.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner/strauss-kahn-socialist-france_b_862246.html)

Source: Strauss-Kahn and the European Left (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner/strauss-kahn-socialist-france_b_862246.html)

Few things are better for the soul than a sunny, crisp autumn day surrounded by colorful foliage and a light breeze.  Longing for just that? Take a five-minute virtual trip to Chestnut Cove in North Carolina.  Meditating on the subtle sway of pink leaves is a healthy break from the flurry of emails and meetings -- even if you're not actually sitting on a log cabin porch in the Southern Appalachians.WATCH:More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/16/unplug-and-recharge-chest_n_862171.html)

Source: Unplug And Recharge: 5 Minutes In Chestnut Cove (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/16/unplug-and-recharge-chest_n_862171.html)

Last week, the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities released a study on arts education and the news is bleak.  Taking information on a 2008 report from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Los Angeles Times recently reported: "Among children of a college graduate, 27% said they had never taken even one arts class, compared with 12% in 1982. For children of high school graduates, the number who'd never had any arts study rose from 30% nearly 30 years ago to 66% in 2008."This radical diminution in exposure of children to arts education has dire consequences for our arts ecology as well as our nation as a whole.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-kaiser/the-future-of-the-arts-th_b_862320.html)

Source: The Future of the Arts/ The Future of America (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-kaiser/the-future-of-the-arts-th_b_862320.html)

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) pushed back on Monday against criticisms about his budget, saying Democrats were attacking his plans for Medicare while pursuing plans that would hurt today's seniors.Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, has come under fire for the major spending cuts in his 2012 budget, which passed through the House in April without Democratic support. Democrats quickly latched onto Ryan's proposal for Medicare, which would replace the current guaranteed health care program with a voucher-like plan in which the government provided seniors money to purchase their own insurance -- if they are able to afford it.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/16/paul-ryan-medicare-plan_n_862589.html)

Source: Paul Ryan Defends Medicare Plan (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/16/paul-ryan-medicare-plan_n_862589.html)

So many new high-rise urban centers have sprouted across China in recent years that you can almost hear the bubble popping.Kangbashi, a city in Inner Mongolia, is the subject of Bloomberg's (http://www.bloomberg.com/video/69817240/) first video installment on these underpopulated, but investment-heavy "ghost cities." And Kangbashi is just one city in the government's larger plan to create roughly 36 million affordable apartments in the country.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/17/chinas-ghost-cities-bubble-burst_n_862700.html)

Source: China's Ghost Cities: Could The Real Estate Bubble Burst? (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/17/chinas-ghost-cities-bubble-burst_n_862700.html)

In a recent column, David Brooks takes up the critical issue of "the missing fifth" -- the 20% of American men between the ages of 25 and 54 who just aren't working. Actually, in our collapsed manufacturing areas and "inner" cities, the rate of men in the prime years not working is often closer to 50%.  I have abiding admiration for the breadth and depth of David Brooks' domestic socioeconomic commentary (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/opinion/10brooks.html?_r=1&ref=davidbrooks).  He is one of the few regular commentators who has a concept of "social capital" -- which is to say, the ways that political arrangements do or don't provide the social supports and infrastructure that keep communities and people productive and even happy.  As he underscores, it is becoming almost impossible to build productive social supports -- even targeted job training -- because ever-larger billions are being usurped by health care spending.The smart thing, he urges, would be for the nation to have a debate about ways to shift money from ever-increasing "health" expenditures "toward programs that spark reinvigoration."More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-norwood/can-a-health-system-kill-_b_861886.html)

Source: Can a "Health" System Kill a Country? (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-norwood/can-a-health-system-kill-_b_861886.html)

In tomorrow night's episode of Top Chef Masters, contestant Mary Sue Milliken accidentally slices off the top of her thumb, and as a result, has to toss it in the garbage.Milliken, who admits that she hadn't cut herself like that "in decades" takes the whole incident like a champ. "Oh darn it," she exclaims, as if she had just gotten a paper cut. She later assures her fellow competitors, "I'll be fine."More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/17/top-chef-masters-thumb_n_863337.html)

Source: 'Top Chef Masters' Contestant Cuts Off Tip Of Thumb (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/17/top-chef-masters-thumb_n_863337.html)

WASHINGTON -- A ceremonial vote over whether to end subsidies to major oil companies failed on Tuesday, with 45 Republicans and three Democrats voting to continue the tax incentives to the five largest oil companies.Atlhough the 52-48 vote broke down mostly along party lines, Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine split with the rest of the GOP to support the effort to repeal oil subsidies. Democratic Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska), voted against the bill.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/17/oil-subsidies-senate-gop_n_863308.html)

Source: Senate GOP Votes Down Bill To End Big Oil Subsidies (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/17/oil-subsidies-senate-gop_n_863308.html)

"Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will."--James StephensMore... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendy-strgar/curiosity_b_861741.html)

Source: The Healing Power of Curiosity (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendy-strgar/curiosity_b_861741.html)

WASHINGTON -- Walmart, long known for its tough stance on labor, may be forced to make concessions to unions and suppliers in its bid for control of South African retail conglomerate Massmart.To help see the merger through, the companies said theywould not lay off workers for a period of two years (http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/16/walmart-massmart-retrenchments-idUSWEA147720110516), would honor existing union contracts and would devote about $14 million to a fund aimed at developing South African suppliers.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/18/walmart-in-south-africa_n_863655.html)

Source: Walmart In South Africa: Retail Giant May Acquiesce To Workers, Suppliers (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/18/walmart-in-south-africa_n_863655.html)

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama will announce plans Thursday to funnel billions of dollars in economic aid to Egypt and Tunisia as part of a broader effort to inject democracy into the Middle East and North Africa.Obama will unveil a massive package of economic measures, including up to $1 billion in debt relief and another $1 billion in loan guarantees, during a speech on U.S.-Middle East policy set for Thursday morning at the State Department. Other pieces of the package include a new trade partnership with the region and a fund for stimulating regional private sector investments.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/18/obama-middle-east-speech-billions-aid_n_863927.html)

Source: Obama Middle East Speech: President Will Announce Billions In Economic Aid to Egypt, Tunisia (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/18/obama-middle-east-speech-billions-aid_n_863927.html)

As if we needed any more evidence that pesticides are bad for human health, three independent scientific papers have provided some of the strongest evidence yet of the link between exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides and lower IQ levels among children.Published in the latest Environmental Health Perspectives (http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/home.action) journal, the results suggest that prenatal exposure to OPs can have a lasting and damaging effect on our children. Researchers from the University of California, Columbia University and Mount Sinai School of Medicine all found that children exposed to higher levels of OP while in the womb were likely to have lower intelligence scores by age seven than children who were not exposed.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-gunther/pesticides-and-babies-don_b_857162.html)

Source: Pesticides and Babies Don't Mix (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-gunther/pesticides-and-babies-don_b_857162.html)

I read recently of a pilot project in Washington, D.C. that hopes to incentivize workers to move closer to their place of work with the offer (http://www.good.is/post/washington-d-c-offers-12-000-to-people-who-move-near-work) of $12,000. The goal, of course, is to reduce the traffic and pollution associated with commuting to work, as well as improve the quality of life of those taking part. It's a laudable goal. According to research commissioned by our company, almost 78 percent of employees in our top metro areas drive solo to work every day. Anything we can do to reduce that figure is surely a step in the right direction.This is probably not the first or only program of its kind. However, there are a number of reasons why this and other similar ones will never make a difference on a big scale. First and foremost, people who choose to live out of town do so for a reason: either they can't afford city house prices, or they prefer the (sub)urban lifestyle. $12,000 won't come close to the costs associated with living in the city center.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brett-caine/should-we-be-bringing-peo_b_863127.html)

Source: Should We Be Bringing People Closer to Work, or Work to People? (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brett-caine/should-we-be-bringing-peo_b_863127.html)

A video uploaded to YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFDGy4-DDH4&feature=player_embedded#at=22) purports to show a merciless attack on two ambulance drivers in Syria.In the raw footage, two men in the front seat of an ambulance are filmed while bullets rip through the windows. One man is then carried away from the ambulance by frantic bystanders.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/19/syria-forces-reportedly-f_n_864437.html)

Source: Syria Forces Reportedly Fire On Ambulance Staff (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/19/syria-forces-reportedly-f_n_864437.html)

Did you know that the word "millionaire" in Hindi is masculine? What does that mean for women in India who wants to grow a multi-million dollar business? I learned about this conundrum from a colleague Nalini Mehta who attended our Make Mine a Million $ Business event in San Francisco last Fall.I often hear from small business owners who are looking for advice on how to break into and navigate international markets like China, India or even Vietnam. It's a hot economic trend and with good reason. A report (http://www.td.com/economics/special/bc0511_sme.pdf) released this week by TD Economics revealed that from 2004-2009, exports by small U.S. firms to all countries grew 30%, while exports to China and India doubled.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nell-merlino/expanding-into-foreign-ma_b_864428.html)

Source: Expanding Into Foreign Markets: Advice, Caution and Building a Strategy (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nell-merlino/expanding-into-foreign-ma_b_864428.html)

I recently appeared on three sports-radio programs from across the country to break down the NBA Playoffs and the upcoming NBA Draft.The first interview from WCCO Sports Radio in Minnesota, entails a full Lakers' breakdown, specifically how Kobe Bryant simply cannot carry a team like the Kobe of old.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jordan-schultz/2011-nba-playoffs-_b_864808.html)

Source: Breaking Down the 2011 NBA Playoffs and NBA Draft (AUDIO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jordan-schultz/2011-nba-playoffs-_b_864808.html)

You may not have heard about it yet, but you will. Actress and mother Jessica Alba (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Alba) is traveling to Washington DC next week to lend her name and star power to an extremely worthy cause: reducing our exposure to unsafe chemicals by reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  She will be lending her support to the Safer Chemical Healthy Families coalition (http://blog.saferchemicals.org/2011/05/jessica-alba-why-im-joining-the-campaign-for-safer-chemicals-healthy-families.html), which is leading the campaign. NRDC is a member of this broad coalition to pass smart federal policies that protect us from toxic chemicals.One of Jessica Alba’s movie roles was Sue Storm Richards in the Fantastic Four, part of a quartet with individual super powers.  Among Sue Storm’s powers is that she can create an invisible force field to protect herself and others from bullets, lasers and other weapons.  But even a super hero with an invisible force field wouldn’t be able to prevent herself, or her children from being exposed to hundreds of toxic chemicals, most of them untested and unregulated.  Like flame retardants.  This week a report was released (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-janssen/new-study-finds-flame-ret_b_863764.html) that found flame retardants suspected of causing cancer are widespread in household and children’s products, including infant carriers and nursing pillows.  Sue Storm and her family would probably have been exposed to a lot of flame retardants around the house, particularly since her brother Johnny’s signature superpower was being able to burst into flame, on self-command (“Flame On!”).More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-janssen/jessica-alba-super-mom_b_864872.html)

Source: Jessica Alba: Super Mom (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-janssen/jessica-alba-super-mom_b_864872.html)

It's rare to find anyone who cheerfully admits to liking attorneys.On May 6, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, the mind behind Super Size Me and Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, told a crowd of roughly 210 lawyers and journalists in a ballroom of the basement of the InterContinental Hotel on the Plaza that he not only likes attorneys but that without their sage advice, his career wouldn't have been nearly as successful without good legal advice.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-lybarger/a-little-legal-help-filmm_b_864951.html)

Source: A Little Legal Help: Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock Gives Lawyers Love in KC (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-lybarger/a-little-legal-help-filmm_b_864951.html)

Americans turn to their government for all sorts of advice, at times.  Most especially during a crisis or natural disaster of epic proportions, citizens want solid information from experts in the government as to what they should and shouldn't do to keep their families safe.  Forward-looking folks will even check out disaster-preparedness information before disaster actually strikes, in order to get their families through such an event, should worse come to worst.  And now all Americans can breathe a huge sigh of relief because the Centers for Disease Control (C.D.C.) just posted instructions (http://emergency.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies_blog.asp) so we can all adequately prepare for "Zombie Armageddon."You just can't make this stuff up, people.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-weigant/friday-talking-points-168_b_865027.html)

Source: Friday Talking Points -- Zombie Attack! (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-weigant/friday-talking-points-168_b_865027.html)

MADRID - Tens of thousands of Spaniards angry over joblessness protested for a sixth day on Friday in cities all over the country, and the government looked unlikely to enforce a ban on the demonstrations, fearing clashes.

Dubbed "los indignados" (the indignant), tens of thousands of protesters have filled the main squares of Spain's cities for six days, in a wave of outrage over economic stagnation and government austerity marking a shift after years of patience.

The electoral board ruled on Thursday that protests would be illegal on Saturday, the eve of elections when Spaniards will choose 8,116 city councils and 13 out of 17 regional governments.

But Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who has failed to contain the highest unemployment in the European Union, at 21.3 percent, said he may not enforce the ban.

"I have a great respect for the people protesting, which they are doing in a peaceful manner, and I understand it is driven by economic crisis and young people's hopes for employment," Zapatero said during a radio interview.

He said the Justice Ministry was reviewing the electoral board's ruling to determine whether it should stand.

Source: Spain Protests Rock Nation, Tens Of Thousands Fill The Cities Over Joblessness (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/21/spain-protests-joblessness_n_865058.html)

Belovéds, here's a little something to recognize and to honor the real work yet to be done -- υστερήματα -- for which no one is getting off the hook.  The poem is one in a series called "Disciplinary Treatises," which first appeared in my Figures for the Ghost (1994), and subsequently in my Compass of Affection (2006).I'm hoping that we might glimpse in every day the responsibility we share for the reconciliation of the world, its "fabulous bouquets of persons" (as Mona Van Duyn has called them), its every creature, and the wildly spinning earth itself.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-cairns/a-modest-offering-for-the_b_865083.html)

Source: A Modest Offering for the End of the World (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-cairns/a-modest-offering-for-the_b_865083.html)

Could there be any more perfect illustration of the Kinsley gaffe theorem than Newt Gingrich's killer criticism of Paul Ryan's Medicare plan last week?In the political arena, as premier political commentator Michael Kinsley enunciated many years ago,  a gaffe occurs "when a politician tells the truth." And, indeed, what could be truer than Gingrich's observation that he had reservations about the Wisconsin Republican congressman's proposal to replace Medicare by a voucher system for the elderly because he didn't think that "right-wing social engineering is any more desirable than left-wing social engineering"? Indeed, the former speaker added, he had his doubts about the wisdom of "imposing radical change from the right or left."More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jodie-allen/the-gingrich-gaffe_b_864931.html)

Source: The Gingrich "Gaffe" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jodie-allen/the-gingrich-gaffe_b_864931.html)

OTTAWA — Freebie trips for members of Parliament that supposedly are not on the public dime may in fact be paid for by taxpayers after all.Public records show some groups which sponsored MP junkets got millions of dollars in government funding.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/22/mp-freebie-trips-government-funded_n_865235.html)

Source: MP Freebie Trip Sponsors Received Millions From Government (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/22/mp-freebie-trips-government-funded_n_865235.html)

Talk of a manufacturing revival  (http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2011/05/21/knocking-off-rust.html?sid=101)is in the air.  America has, in fact, gained a quarter-million industrial jobs (source (http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-rust-belt-manufacturers-add-jobs-but-factory-pay-isnt-what-it-used-to-be/2011/05/17/AFDmL55G_story.html)) since the start of 2010.  Unfortunately, this is less than 15 percent of the number lost during the recession. Furthermore, after this teasing uptick, U.S. manufacturing output seems to be stalling  (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-17/u-s-april-industrial-production-and-capacity-report-text-.html)again.  So it worth revisiting a much  denied fact I have written about before here  (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-fletcher/american-manufacturing-sl_b_825733.html)and here (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-fletcher/yes-american-manufacturin_b_822280.html): American manufacturing is in a state of profound crisis.  To get past the slew of analysis out there claiming everything is fine, it is crucial to understand why the usually quoted statistics that seem to show that American manufacturing is healthy are wrong.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-fletcher/the-manufacturing-rebound_b_865166.html)

Source: The Manufacturing Rebound Is a Myth (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-fletcher/the-manufacturing-rebound_b_865166.html)

OTTAWA - Tightening a belt is tricky when you have to wrap it around 39 people.Stephen Harper's biggest cabinet ever will have to do some sucking in of its collective gut if the Conservatives are serious about trimming the fat.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/22/harper-cabinet-most-expensive_n_865295.html)

Source: Harper's New Cabinet Most Expensive On Record (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/22/harper-cabinet-most-expensive_n_865295.html)

I believe the main reason we struggle with epidemic sleep disorders is our failure to examine fundamental misconceptions that inform our understanding of and approach to sleep. These misconceptions are rooted in a tendency to define sleep negatively -- that is, in terms of what it's not. Like our conception of health, which is generally understood as the absence of disease, we naively conceive of sleep as the absence of waking. When we are asleep, we are "dead to the world" -- to the waking world. Even scientific and medical definitions of sleep cast it in terms of what it's not. Sleep specialists refer to sleep as "non-REM." It's not dreaming.Waking has become a synonym for consciousness; and sleep, considered its opposite, unconsciousness. Someone who exhibits limited awareness while awake may be accused of being 'asleep.' Noted sleep specialist, William Dement writes (http://books.google.com/books?id=ooaI3EMUbxEC&dq=dement+sleep&q=midnight), "It is impossible to have conscious, experiential knowledge of non-dreaming sleep." Because it's unconscious, sleep is believed to lie outside the realm of subjective experience and, therefore, to be devoid of personal meaning. It's reduced to a functional physiological process. Nothing personal.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rubin-naiman-phd/sleep-philosophy_b_865352.html)

Source: We Don't Get Sleep Because We Don't 'Get' Sleep (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rubin-naiman-phd/sleep-philosophy_b_865352.html)

With young people revolutionizing the good food movement, it's slightly ironic that at 29, I'm farming on one of the oldest agricultural landmarks in Missouri. I first visited the Mueller Farm as a teenager, when my dad took me there to visit Al and Caroline Mueller, who had been working the land since FDR was president. Since I was his "vegetable-eating" kid who grew food in our backyard, my dad thought I might like to see a "bigger garden." It seems only fitting that now I'm back, trying to help the Mueller's legacy grow into even bigger "gardens" throughout St. Louis.I've had vignettes of EarthDance (http://www.earthdancefarms.org/) dancing around in my head for more than a decade -- a sometimes fuzzy image of using food and farming (and some good music, too) to organize communities to live more sustainably. But it took traveling to farms on the other side of the world to realize that my food calling was here at home in St. Louis, right on the Mueller's farm. By 2008, Al Mueller had long since passed, and Caroline was quickly nearing 90 years-old, without any children to carry on the farm. It was clear that if someone didn't step forward to steward the farm, it would soon fall victim to cement and bricks -- in fact, today it's surrounded on all sides by housing.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/molly-rockamann/growing-green-award_b_865903.html)

Source: Old Roots Spring Anew in Young Farmers (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/molly-rockamann/growing-green-award_b_865903.html)

Tim Pawlenty may not be looking for support from Hollywood Avenue or Madison Avenue. But his campaign ads borrow liberally from their playbook.In my review (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-kotecki/tim-pawlenty-_b_857805.html) for Pawlenty's "New Direction" YouTube video, I noted visual and tonal similarities to the TV show 24, movies like Independence Day and The Matrix, and Chrysler's Superbowl commercial about Detroit.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-kotecki/tim-pawlenty-2012-_b_865613.html)

Source: Tim Pawlenty vs. LeBron James (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-kotecki/tim-pawlenty-2012-_b_865613.html)

When Trudie Styler -- the multi-talented actor, filmmaker, eco-activist, UNICEF ambassador, mother of four and Sting's partner for 29 years -- first started school in the English Midlands, she had trouble learning to read. School officials sent her to get her eyes tested. When it turned out that the problem wasn't with seeing the blackboard, the diagnosis was simple: She must be "backwards.""Backwards" is the British word for what we now call cognitive impairment, and it was the kind of thing kids who have dyslexia and ADHD, including Styler, got labeled with in the 1960s. While she didn't get a real diagnosis until many years later, when she had children of her own with the same symptoms, she did have a mom who came forcefully to her defense -- "a large lady given to speaking her mind," Styler said, "who went to school and said, 'Our Trudie is not backward, she's just slower learning to read.'"More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-harold-koplewicz/trudie-styler-adhd-dyslexia_b_864453.html)

Source: Trudie Styler on Living with ADHD and Dyslexia: Don't Give Up, Do Reach Out (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-harold-koplewicz/trudie-styler-adhd-dyslexia_b_864453.html)

Here's an incentive to buy the physical disc version of Lady Gaga's new album, "Born This Way": the liner notes may just be delicious.Gaga continued her media blitz on Monday, promoting her new album and discussing her egg-vessel on "The Late Show with David Letterman." She gave a very spiritual answer to Dave's question about the egg, saying, "It's a place where I can meditate and experience rebirth, so I just get inside of it and close it, and then when I feel that I have been reborn spiritually, I just, whoo, come out."More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/24/lady-gaga-eats-lettermans-paper-notes_n_866020.html)

Source: Lady Gaga Eats Letterman's Paper Notes: 'Born This Way' Star Gets Funny (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/24/lady-gaga-eats-lettermans-paper-notes_n_866020.html)

ANAHEIM, C.A. -- Philanthropist and CNN founder Ted Turner has turned his sights to renewable energy -- and he had some fighting words for the wind industry at the kickoff to its annual convention (http://www.windpowerexpo.org/) on Monday.Turbine manufacturers and clean energy utilities can't sit idly by while the coal industry touts its "clean coal" plan and oil companies flood the airwaves, Turner said. He noted that he had "nightmares" caused by clean coal advertisements.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/24/ted-turner-wind-energy-coal_n_866438.html)

Source: Ted Turner Says Coal, Oil Industries Need 'A Good A** Kicking' (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/24/ted-turner-wind-energy-coal_n_866438.html)

WASHINGTON -- Officers with the Transportation Security Administration know a thing or two about feeling under appreciated and belittled in the workplace.As do players for the perennially underachieving Washington Redskins football team.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/26/washington-redskins-tsa-agents_n_867754.html)

Source: Washington Redskins, TSA Agents Find Unlikely Solidarity (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/26/washington-redskins-tsa-agents_n_867754.html)

Lawrence O'Donnell said on his Thursday show that the New York Times has "jumped the shark" in its coverage of a potential run for the presidency by Sarah Palin.An article (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/26/us/politics/26campaign.html?_r=1&ref=sarahpalin) in Thursday's paper set off a renewed round of speculation that Palin might actually jump into the race after all. For O'Donnell, it was more evidence that, as he put it, the "political press ... learned absolutely nothing" from its experience with Donald Trump.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/27/lawrence-odonnell-new-york-times-palin_n_867924.html)

Source: Lawrence O'Donnell: New York Times 'Jumped The Shark' With Palin Coverage (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/27/lawrence-odonnell-new-york-times-palin_n_867924.html)

Faced with a rapidly growing groundswell for Elizabeth Warren to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency, the Senate Republican leaders employed the ultimate obstruction on behalf of their Wall Street donors. It's up to us to make sure the public knows whose side they are on.On Thursday, the Campaign for America's Future delivered 20,000 petition signatures to the White House (http://ourfuture.org/news-release/2011052126/campaign-america-s-future-urging-recess-appointment-elizabeth-warren-cfpb), urging the President exercise his constitutional authority to appoint Warren during next week's Senate recess, circumventing the Senate GOP's stated intention to block any nominee to the post. A broader coalition effort (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/26/elizabeth-warren-recess-appointment-progressives_n_867616.html), led by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which includes CAF, has garnered more than 150,000 signatures.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-scher/republicans-try-to-shut-d_b_867847.html)

Source: Republicans Try To Shut Down Groundswell For Warren: Will We Let Them? (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-scher/republicans-try-to-shut-d_b_867847.html)

Scientists have discovered 17 "lost" Egyptian pyramids using space satellite images and robots, putting a whole new spin on Egyptian excursions.
Source: Satellites Discover Lost Egyptian Pyramids (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/27/satellites-egyptian-pyramids_n_868322.html)

June 5th marks the 30th anniversary of AIDS. In June 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published the first accounts of rare illnesses reported in young gay men in New York and Los Angeles in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Within a few years, the disease that we first came to know as GRID (gay related immune deficiency or "the gay plague") and now know as AIDS permeated all segments of our population, and many parts of the world.Since 1981, medical science has helped us understand the mechanisms of this infectious disease and how to treat it. We have also developed a large body of social science to inform HIV prevention. However, our knowledge about prevention largely has been ignored. New medical treatments have saved or improved millions of lives. But we could save many more if we developed scientifically-directed prevention policies as well.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/perry-n-halkitis-phd-ms/recentering-science-in-th_b_868310.html)

Source: Re-Centering Science in the Fight Against AIDS (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/perry-n-halkitis-phd-ms/recentering-science-in-th_b_868310.html)

Hoping to inspire people to raise funds for charity, and give them easy ways to do so, actor Edward Norton launched Crowdrise (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/13/crowdrise-ed-norton-launc_n_575124.html) last year.The website offers personal fundraising pages and other tools so individuals can maximize their impact to raise donations for nonprofits they care about.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/28/edward-norton-crowdrise_n_867768.html)

Source: Edward Norton On Crowdrise, Leveraging Personal Relationships To Fundraise For Charity (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/28/edward-norton-crowdrise_n_867768.html)

(http://i.huffpost.com/gen/211216/REUTERS-LOGO.jpg) (http://www.reuters.com)ATHENS/BERLIN (Angeliki Koutantou and Annika Breidthardt) - Greece could raise up to six times more than planned by selling state assets, an ECB policymaker said, as the country's leader renewed efforts to forge a political consensus on new austerity measures.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/28/greece-debt-state-assets_n_868445.html)

Source: Greece Could Raise 300B Euros By Selling State Assets: ECB Official (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/28/greece-debt-state-assets_n_868445.html)

"But what I really want to do is direct..."It's the ancient Hollywood caveat, the actor's stab at greater control over his own work and image -- or, at least, in some cases, a stab at at least seeming to have a deeper creative ambition.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/28/bradley-cooper-hyperion-screenwriter_n_868392.html)

Source: Bradley Cooper, 'Hyperion' Screenwriter; Director, Too? (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/28/bradley-cooper-hyperion-screenwriter_n_868392.html)

I went to a school in Brooklyn called Midwood High, across from Brooklyn College. My best friend then was the late Hilly Elkins. When we were seniors, there was a funny, bespectacled freshman named Allen Stewart Konigsberg writing jokes for the school's newspaper, The Argus.   Hilly and I used to read his funny stuff aloud and predicted he might have a future in show business. The young man had gone to the same public school as me, P.S. 99, and lived just one block from me on Avenue K in Brooklyn.Some years later, I was Production V.P. of a film company called Palomar financed by Leonard Goldenson's ABC Network. By then the comedy writer's name went from Heywood Allen to Woody Allen and he had graduated from doing standup routines in the Duplex club in the Village to becoming a very successful TV writer. I often went to Michael's supper club to hear him play clarinet with his jazz group. In 1966 he wrote a Broadway show called Don't Drink The Water.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-weston/midnight-in-paris-woody-a_b_868444.html)

Source: Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen and Me! (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-weston/midnight-in-paris-woody-a_b_868444.html)

In my youth I was a ballet dancer.  In recent years I have signed up for dance classes, and in my mind, I am capable of dancing at the same level and ability as my 18-year-old self.  Sadly, my brain and my body have not kept in touch over the years and thus my brain receives a harsh reality check when I start to move and my body pays the price.Serving in hospice care, I have learned that I am not alone in this mind/body disconnect.  We see this disconnect in our hospice patients all the time and their bodies too pay the price, often in the form of falls.  As clinical staff we assess for fall risk at every visit, but as many of my hospice colleagues across the country could attest, the odds of hospice patients falling seem to be stacked against us.  Each hospice patient comprises a perfect storm for falls due to the unique and complex layering of personal symptomatic factors, environmental factors as well as perceived goals for movement.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-amy-ziettlow/mind-body-disconnect_b_868256.html)

Source: Aging and the Mind-Body Disconnect (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-amy-ziettlow/mind-body-disconnect_b_868256.html)

Since many of us will be firing up grills, smokers and barbecue pits this weekend, we thought it would be a public service to remind everyone of the first rule of grilling: do not pour flammable liquids onto open flames. Fortunately for these guys, it looks like everyone is okay. Let's hope a lesson was learned.WATCH:More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/29/barbecue-fail-memorial-day_n_868592.html)

Source: Barbecue Fail: A Cautionary Tale For Your Memorial Day Grilling Plans (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/29/barbecue-fail-memorial-day_n_868592.html)

As a boy in Erie, Illinois, each year on Memorial Day, most of the 1,300 residents of my hometown turned out for the parade that began in the triangle of businesses that lined the center of the village. They watched or marched as the procession of veterans, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Knights of Columbus and others moved spritely down the blacktop street to enter the village cemetery lined by tall pine trees.There, speeches were made, prayers were offered, a 21-gun salute boomed over the adjoining cornfield and the mournful sound of "Taps" echoed off headstones. And then all walked somberly home.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maurice-possley/memorial-day-2011_b_858629.html)

Source: 'Greater Love Has No One Than This': A Memorial Day Tribute (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maurice-possley/memorial-day-2011_b_858629.html)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper did not discuss the G8 summit with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, a Harper spokesman says.The statement by Dimitri Soudas, Harper's communications director, appears to contradict a report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that Netanyahu phoned Harper before the summit to ask him to block G8 support for a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/05/30/israel-1967-borders-harper-netanyahu_n_868697.html)

Source: Israel 1967 Borders: Harper And Netanyahu Didn't Chat About It, Spokesman Says (http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/05/30/israel-1967-borders-harper-netanyahu_n_868697.html)

There was a slogan on the streets of Seattle: "This is what democracy looks like." You can't love democracy and denigrate protest, because protest is part of democracy. It's a package deal.Likewise, you can't claim solidarity with Egyptian protesters when they take down a dictator, but act horrified that the resulting government in Egypt, more accountable to Egyptian public opinion, is more engaged in supporting Palestinian rights. It's a package deal.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/egypt-opens-rafah-crossin_b_868508.html)

Source: Egypt Opens Rafah Crossing: This Is What Democracy Looks Like (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/egypt-opens-rafah-crossin_b_868508.html)

Definition of a victim: a person to whom life happens.-- Peter McWilliamsMore... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leon-logothetis/self-responsibility_b_866294.html)

Source: Mission: Seek Out Self-Responsibility (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leon-logothetis/self-responsibility_b_866294.html)

On Monday, royal representatives released details about Prince William and the former-Kate Middleton's first overseas trip to Canada and southern California, set for June 30 to July 10.The Associated Press writes (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110530/ap_on_en_ot/eu_britain_royal_trip_2):More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/30/william-kate-canada-los-angeles_n_868765.html)

Source: William & Kate's Canada, Los Angeles Trip Itinerary Revealed (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/30/william-kate-canada-los-angeles_n_868765.html)

Most people realize that the Federal budget deficit and the trade deficit (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-fletcher/americas-trade-deficit-is_b_823785.html) are serious problems. Unfortunately, as I have argued  (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-fletcher/us-innovation-economy-_b_868504.html)previously, few people grasp the importance of another big deficit in our economy, without which it will be extremely hard to fix the first two: our innovation deficit.Simply put: despite appearances to the contrary, our economy is not innovative enough.  And it's costing us, big-time.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-fletcher/why-innovation-needs-big-_b_868864.html)

Source: Why Innovation Needs Big Government (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-fletcher/why-innovation-needs-big-_b_868864.html)

Ready for another visit from the most awesome martial arts master ever? Well, ready or not, Po, the legendary Dragon Warrior (and roly-poly panda) is back in this follow-up to the well-received Kung Fu Panda.And this time Po (voice of Jack Black) and his compatriots, the Furious Five -- Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Crane (David Cross) -- are facing a challenge that threatens the whole of China: Lord Chen, a power-mad peacock with abandonment issues and a well-stocked armory of newly-invented cannons to back up his claim to the throne. Can Po overcome this threat by confronting the secret of his past that binds him inextricably to Lord Shen? And will audiences find Kung Fu Panda 2 an exciting and innovative blend of Hong Kong action with energetic CG animation, or is this just another sequel that's satisfied to serve up more of the same? Join Cinefantastique Online's Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons as they debate the issue.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-persons/kung-fu-panda-2_b_868881.html)

Source: Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast: Kung Fu Panda 2 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-persons/kung-fu-panda-2_b_868881.html)