<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>July 4th Newsletter- July 4, 2008</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> “Most Americans lie in the middle, wisely embracing a more thoughtful definition of patriotism that allows for multiple, equally meaningful ways to support American ideals.  Consider a USA Today/Gallup Poll out this week: 80 percent of Americans consider supporting U.S. policies around the world an act of patriotism. At the same time, nearly as many, two-thirds of those polled, say protesting U.S. policies also is patriotic.  For ordinary Americans, patriotism is an abstract love of country but also a commitment to it, to help it achieve its promise and ideals," says Nancy MacLean, history department chair at Northwestern University. Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - What, at heart, is patriotism all about?  Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times.  July 4, 2008.  So what is patriotism anyway? Americans feel it strongly. We rank among the highest of all nations in national pride, telling University of Chicago researchers we'd rather live in the United States than in any other country.  Americans also know it when they see it. Flying the flag, voting and military service are all widely cited as patriotic acts.  But what does patriotism actually mean?  As we pause to celebrate Independence Day, as we reflect on an election season in which Barack Obama has been forced to defend his patriotism, it's worth digging deeper and searching for a definition we can all embrace.  Most Americans would agree that patriotism is more than wearing -- or not wearing -- a flag pin. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-sun-times-editorial-what-at.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-sun-times-editorial-what-at.html</a> Obama creates his own patriot revolution By Edward Luce in Washington.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: June 30 2008 19:55 | Last updated: June 30 2008 19:55.  Barack Obama on Monday sought to portray himself as a mainstream American patriot and put his Republican opponents on notice that he would “not stand idly by” when others questioned his support for the US flag.  Mr Obama’s speech, which he delivered in Independence, Missouri, the birthplace of Harry S. Truman, the former president who was known for his unassuming Mid-Western style of patriotism, comes after months of pointed attacks on his biographical credentials.  Opinion polls suggest that Mr Obama’s biggest challenge is to convince the electorate that he is an authentic American who is also ready to be commander-in-chief. Mr Obama, whom one in ten Americans continue to believe is a Muslim, has recently taken to wearing an American flag pin, having been attacked for not doing so. He has also taken to speaking against a backdrop of the Stars and Stripes.  “The question of who is – or is not – a patriot all too often poisons our political debates, in ways that divide us rather than bringing us together,” he said yesterday. “I have come to know this from my own experience on the campaign trail.” <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/obama-creates-his-own-patriot.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/obama-creates-his-own-patriot.html</a> A patriotic signpost By Clarence Page.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  July 2, 2008.  Sen. Barack Obama is wearing his American flag lapel pin again, most appropriately during his speech this week in Missouri on patriotism. His critics may call that a flip-flop. I call it a sign that he's learning.  As recently as the debate before the Pennsylvania primary, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee gave eloquent reasons why he didn't think a flag pin was as important as the patriotic beliefs he held in his heart. But flag-pin lovers vote too.  It's too bad so many voters invest so much in symbols, but that's a reality of politics and human nature. Polls show a small but not insignificant slice of voters continue to question Obama's patriotism, especially in white working-class areas. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/patriotic-signpost.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/patriotic-signpost.html</a> Save the press. By Timothy Egan. Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: July 3, 2008.  On the lobby wall of the newspaper where I got my first reporting job are the Thomas Jefferson words that U.S. journalists like to trot out as America's Independence Day nears:  "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."  Of course, Jefferson also said the only reliable truths in newspapers were the advertisements, and that he was happiest when not reading the papers.  But as to his iconic quote, it's no secret that we're trending toward the former. And anyone who cheers the collapse of the newspaper industry should consider why Jefferson put aside his distaste for the vitriol and nonsense of the press for the larger principle of healthy democracies needing informed citizens.  <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/save-press.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/save-press.html</a> International British economy falling into American-style slump - In an echo of the United States, economists now predict the U.K. is likely to fall into a recession this year. By David Jolly.  Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: July 3, 2008.  PARIS: A housing market in shambles, inflation at the highest level in years and signs that the economy is headed for, or already in, recession. Sound familiar?  The British economy, like its counterpart across the Atlantic, has fallen on hard times, and in many ways the experience appears to be mirroring that in the United States. Indeed, the run last September on a British mortgage lender, Northern Rock, was one of the events that helped to embed the terms "credit crisis" firmly into the global consciousness.  "A recession is more likely than not by the end of the year," Peter Newland, who covers the British economy for Lehman Brothers in London, said Thursday, summarizing a recent string of dismal economic data that have led economists to revise their growth forecasts downward. "Activity seems to be declining across the economy," he said. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/british-economy-falling-into-american.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/british-economy-falling-into-american.html</a>  Editorial Note:  Economically and globally, Tony Blair was joined at the hip with George Bush’s policies. Eurozone inflation soars to new high By Gerrit Wiesmann in Frankfurt.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: June 30 2008 10:57 | Last updated: June 30 2008 19:29.  Eurozone inflation rose in June to the highest rate since the bloc’s 1999 formation, new data showed on Monday as political opposition mounted to a widely-expected move by the European Central Bank to raise its main interest rate later this week.  In its initial estimate of inflation for the month, Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical office, said prices were 4 per cent higher in June than a year earlier – twice as high as the ECB’s inflation target.  The figures come as oil prices hit a fresh record of $143.67 a barrel and commodities recorded their largest first half of the year price jump for at least half a century, exacerbating global concerns about inflation.  The Jefferies-Reuters CRB index – a global benchmark for commodities prices such as oil, corn or copper – jumped to a record high of 467.60 points on Monday, bringing the first-half increase to 30.4 per cent, the largest since records began in 1957. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/eurozone-inflation-soars-to-new-high.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/eurozone-inflation-soars-to-new-high.html</a> Financial Times Editorial Comment: Uribe’s rescue deserves acclaim. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 3 2008 19:31 | Last updated: July 3 2008 19:31.  Colombia’s dramatic hostage rescue has vindicated President Alvaro Uribe’s hardline security strategy and inflicted another devastating blow on the Farc, the isolated and increasingly fragmented leftwing guerrilla group.  By freeing Ingrid Betancourt, a charismatic former presidential candidate, and 14 other high profile long-term hostages without firing a shot, Mr Uribe has also confounded international critics, such as Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez, who had been pressing him to negotiate a prisoner exchange.  Mr Uribe merits plaudits for sticking to his guns and restoring the public’s faith in the Colombian state. But his next task should be to avoid hubris and look to strengthen independent institutions./Colombian troops rescue Betancourt By Richard Lapper in London, Anastasia Moloney in Caracas and Naomi Mapstone in Lima.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 2 2008 20:55 | Last updated: July 3 2008 10:13.  Álvaro Uribe, Colombia’s president, secured one of the most significant triumphs of his political career on Wednesday when troops freed Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages held by leftwing Farc guerrillas.  ”I believe that this is a sign of peace for Colombia, that we can find peace,” Ms Betancourt said, weeping as she thanked the Colombian military in her first public comments, carried on Colombian radio station Caracol.  Minutes later, a pale but smiling Ms Betancourt landed at Bogota’s air force base, walking down the stairs of the plane and hugging her mother, Yolanda Pulecio, on the runway. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/financial-times-editorial-comment.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/financial-times-editorial-comment.html</a> International Herald Tribune Editorial: Mugabe steals an election, Africans look away.  Copyright by The International Herald Tribune. Published: July 1, 2008.  Robert Mugabe brazenly and brutally stole his latest re-election as president of Zimbabwe. Now Africa's leaders, who have looked the other way for far too long, must decide what they will do.  They can continue to enable Mugabe out of political cynicism or misplaced solidarity with a former liberation leader turned tyrant. Or they can follow the wiser example of the living symbol of African liberation, Nelson Mandela, who last week condemned Zimbabwe's "tragic failure of leadership."  The signals from Monday's opening session of the African Union summit, with Mugabe smugly in attendance, were not encouraging. While African election monitors rightly denounced the voting, few summit speakers went beyond muted and indirect criticism.  More than truth telling is at stake. Zimbabwe and its people are dying at Mugabe's hand - ravaged by an imploding economy, skyrocketing inflation, man-made famine and a governmental machinery whose only visible function is to reward the dictator's collaborators and cronies and beat and kill his critics and opponents. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/international-herald-tribune-editorial.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/international-herald-tribune-editorial.html</a> Mess-o-potamia "Opening up a third front right now would be extremely stressful on us," Mullen acknowledged during a Pentagon news conference. He added moments later, "This is a very unstable part of the world, and I don't need it to be more unstable."  Adm. Mike Mullen Military chief warns against striking Iran By Aamer Madhani.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  July 3, 2008.  WASHINGTON — The words Wednesday from Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were notable for their blunt pragmatism: An Israeli airstrike on Iran would be high-risk and could further destabilize the region, leading to political and economic chaos.  On Iran's western border, the U.S. military is more than five years into a war in Iraq that has taken 4,113 American lives and cost U.S. taxpayers more than $600 billion. And on Iran's eastern border, American commanders are now openly questioning whether they have lost their way in the fight against a resurgent Taliban.  Israel, the United States' closest ally in the Middle East, has refused to rule out a strike against Iranian nuclear sites, and this week's New Yorker magazine reported that the U.S. has stepped up its covert operations inside Iran. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/military-chief-warns-against-striking.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/military-chief-warns-against-striking.html</a> Pentagon extends tour of Marines in Afghanistan By LOLITA C. BALDOR.  Copyright 2008 Associated Press.  6:20 AM CDT, July 4, 2008.  WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has extended the tour of 2,200 Marines in Afghanistan, after insisting for months the unit would come home on time.  The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is doing combat operations in the volatile south, will stay an extra 30 days and come home in early November rather than October, Marine Col. David Lapan confirmed Thursday.  Military leaders as recently as Wednesday stressed the need for additional troops in Afghanistan. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has often praised the work of the 24th MEU in fighting Taliban militants in Helmand Province.  Defense Secretary Robert Gates, however, has repeatedly said he did not intend to extend or replace the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan, calling their deployment there an extraordinary, one-time effort to help tamp down the increasing violence in the south.  Asked about the possibility of an extension in early May, Gates said he would "be loathe to do that." He added that "no one has suggested even the possibility of extending that rotation." <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/pentagon-extends-tour-of-marines-in.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/pentagon-extends-tour-of-marines-in.html</a> Coalition deaths in Afghanistan hit a record high By Mark Mazzetti.  Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: July 2, 2008.  WASHINGTON: More American and coalition troops died in Afghanistan last month than during any other month since the U.S.-led invasion began in 2001, the latest evidence of a strengthening Taliban insurgency that has menaced NATO forces and reclaimed control over some southern and eastern parts of the country.  The violence in Afghanistan has surged at the same time as the number of attacks and American deaths in Iraq has fallen.  Among the American-led forces in the two countries, there were 46 troops killed in Afghanistan in June, compared with 31 in Iraq, the second straight month in which combat deaths in Afghanistan exceeded those in Iraq.  A recent Pentagon report about Afghanistan painted a stark picture of security conditions inside the country, a militant force that has "coalesced into a resilient insurgency" and a central government in Kabul that still cannot extend its reach into the hinterlands. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/coalition-deaths-in-afghanistan-hit.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/coalition-deaths-in-afghanistan-hit.html</a> Wounded Iraqi forces say they've been abandoned By Michael Kamber.  Copyright by The international Herald Tribune.  Published: July 1, 2008.  BAGHDAD: Dawoud Ameen, a former Iraqi soldier, lay in bed, his shattered legs splayed before him, worrying about the rent for his family of five.  Ameen's legs were shredded by shrapnel from a roadside bomb in September 2006 and now, like many wounded members of the Iraqi security forces, he is deeply in debt and struggling to survive. For now, he gets by on $125 a month brought to him by members of his old army unit, charity and whatever his wife, Jinan, can beg from her relatives. But he worries that he could lose even that meager monthly stipend.  In the United States, the issue of war injuries has revolved almost entirely around the care received by the 30,000 wounded American veterans. But Iraqi soldiers and police officers have been wounded in greater numbers, health workers say, and have been treated far worse by their government.  A number of the half-dozen badly wounded Iraqis interviewed for this article said they had been effectively drummed out of the Iraqi security forces without pensions, or were receiving partial pay and in danger of losing even that. Coping with severe injuries, and often amputations, they have been forced to pay for private doctors or turn to Iraq's failing public hospitals, which as recently as a year ago were controlled by militias that kidnapped and killed patients — particularly security personnel from rival units. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/wounded-iraqi-forces-say-theyve-been.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/wounded-iraqi-forces-say-theyve-been.html</a> Palestinian goes on rampage in Jerusalem; 3 killed By STEVEN GUTKIN.  Copyright 2008 Associated Press.  4:54 PM CDT, July 2, 2008.  JERUSALEM - A Palestinian laborer driving a construction vehicle rammed into packed buses, tossed cars into the air and rolled over pedestrians in a deadly rampage Wednesday that killed three people and wounded dozens in Jerusalem.  The attacker's unusual weapon -- a yellow Caterpillar front loader transformed into a deadly assault vehicle -- threatened both Israelis' sense of security and Palestinians' fragile status in the city.  Hundreds of panicked people were sent running for cover before the attacker was shot dead by security forces. Three Palestinian militant groups claimed responsibility for the onslaught, the first major attack in Jerusalem in four months.  However, Israeli police said the assailant, a 30-year-old Palestinian from Arab east Jerusalem, apparently acted alone. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the man was working on a railway project in Jerusalem. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/palestinian-goes-on-rampage-in.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/palestinian-goes-on-rampage-in.html</a> Scientist: Pakistan knew of NKorea nuke deal By MUNIR AHMAD.  Copyright 2008 Associated Press.  9:55 AM CDT, July 4, 2008.  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan gave centrifuges to North Korea in a 2000 shipment supervised by the army during the rule of President Pervez Musharraf, nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan said Friday.  Khan told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that the uranium enrichment equipment was sent from Pakistan in a North Korean plane that was loaded under the supervision of Pakistani security officials.  His claims contradict his 2004 confession that he was solely responsible for spreading nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya -- and Pakistan's repeated denials its army or government knew about Khan's nuclear proliferation activities.  Khan said the army had "complete knowledge" of the shipment of used P-1 centrifuges to North Korea and that it must have been sent with the consent of Musharraf, the then-army chief who took power in a 1999 coup. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/scientist-pakistan-knew-of-nkorea-nuke.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/scientist-pakistan-knew-of-nkorea-nuke.html</a> Bomb blast kills young girl, wounds 11 in Pakistan.  Copyright 2008 Associated Press.  1:02 AM CDT, July 4, 2008.  QUETTA, Pakistan - A bomb exploded on a busy street in the southwestern Pakistan city of Quetta on Friday, killing a 4-year old girl and wounding 11 other people.  The bomb was rigged to a motorcycle and it exploded outside a commercial bank, said Raja Mohammed Ishtiaq, a Quetta police officer. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.  Four of the wounded were traffic police on duty nearby, and others were passers-by, said Mohammed Khalid, another police officer.  The wreckage of the motorcycle -- to which Ishtiaq said the bomb was attached -- lay scattered on the roadside. The windows of cars parked in front of the bank were damaged.  Quetta is the capital of southwestern Baluchistan province, where authorities have blamed armed tribesmen for bombings and attacks against the government. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/bomb-blast-kills-young-girl-wounds-11.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/bomb-blast-kills-young-girl-wounds-11.html</a> National Chicago Tribune Editorial - Catastrophe ahead. Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  June 29, 2008.  Midwesterners still mopping up from the worst flooding in 15 years might be surprised to learn that a plan in Congress would put them—and everyone else in the country—on the hook for major hurricane damage in Florida.  It's called the Homeowners Defense Act of 2007, and it passed the House last fall. The bill would create a taxpayer-financed federal program that would back up giant private insurance companies when disasters strike. The government would provide what's called reinsurance, basically insuring the insurance companies against catastrophic losses.  This has been likened to the troubled National Flood Insurance Program, which ought to make taxpayers very nervous.  By underpricing risk, the flood program has encouraged building in areas prone to flooding. Just this spring, Congress approved a $17 billion bailout because of excess losses from floods in 2005.  Two big private insurers, Allstate and State Farm, are firmly behind this. It would be less expensive for those companies to buy reinsurance coverage from a federal pool than the private market. The companies promise to pass along their savings to homeowners.  <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/chicago-tribune-editorial-catastrophe.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/chicago-tribune-editorial-catastrophe.html</a> International Herald Tribune Editorial: The fragile center of America's Supreme Court. Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: July 3, 2008.  In some ways, the U.S. Supreme Court term that just ended seems muddled: disturbing, highly conservative rulings on subjects like voting rights and gun control, along with important defenses of basic liberties in other areas, including the rights of detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The key to understanding the term lies in the fragility of the court's center. Some of the most important decisions came on 5-4 votes - a stark reminder that the court is just one justice away from solidifying a far-right majority that would do great damage to the Constitution and the rights of Americans.  The Supreme Court abandoned its special role in protecting voting rights when it rejected a challenge to Indiana's harshly anti-democratic voter ID law. Critics warned that the law, which bars anyone without a government-issued photo ID from voting, would disenfranchise poor people, minorities and the elderly, all of whom disproportionately lack drivers' licenses. The critics were right. In the Indiana presidential primary, shortly after the ruling, about 12 nuns in their 80s and 90s were turned away at the polls for not having acceptable ID.  In another sharp break with its traditions, the court struck down parts of the District of Columbia's gun-control law. After seven decades of holding that the Second Amendment's right to bear arms is tied to raising a militia, the court reversed itself and ruled that it confers on individuals the right to keep guns in their homes for personal use. The decision will no doubt add significantly to the number of Americans killed by gun violence. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/international-herald-tribune.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/international-herald-tribune.html</a> Scalia's selective history By Jack Rakove.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  June 30, 2008.  Appeals to the evidence of history figured prominently in last week's Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia vs. Heller, striking down a sweeping ban on handguns and affirming that the 2nd Amendment protects a fundamentally individual right "to keep and bear arms." Yet read the two main opinions by Justices Antonin Scalia (for the conservative majority) and John Paul Stevens (in dissent), and you will see that different ways of defining and reading what counts as historical evidence expose a fault line between them.  One would have to be terribly naive to think that how these two very amateur historians reason about history actually explains why the court divided as it did. But it does reveal important differences in how we think about the origins of the Constitution and its interpretation, and thus judge which argument seems more persuasive.  As the lead author of a historians' amicus curiae, or friend-of-the-court, brief filed in support of the district, I persist in thinking that Stevens has the better account of why the 2nd Amendment was adopted. Here's why.  Looking back  Begin with what I read as the historical fault line. Scalia's opinion argues that private ownership of firearms for personal use, including self-defense, was a "pre-existing" right that adoption of the amendment only confirmed. The addition of the prefatory statement about the value of "a well-regulated militia" gave a further purpose to this right, but did not otherwise alter its prior understanding. Scalia actually has very little to say about why the amendment was even adopted. He says almost nothing about the constitutional debates of 1787-1789, and dismissively observes that relying on the actual "drafting history of the 2nd Amendment" would be of "dubious" value. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/scalias-selective-history.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/scalias-selective-history.html</a> The law says what they want it to - Next time, Supreme Court could rule differently on guns BY MARK BROWN Sun-Times Columnist.  Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times.  July 1, 2008.  In the course of many years in this line of work, I've often had occasion for somebody to inquire of me, "That must be illegal. What does the law say?"  The implication always is that somewhere there are these magical tablets containing the applicable statutes for the specific fact situation at hand, and if I only would consult the tablets, all would be revealed to me. And what I usually say in response is that the law isn't like that. It's not something finite that allows you to check the books, plug in the facts and ascertain the outcome.  That's because in the end, the law only says what somebody decides it says. And the highest-ranking somebody gets the final say?”... I submit to you that the laws on abortion are not much different. Roe v. Wade is the law of the land, until a majority of Supreme Court justices decides it isn't, and then it won't be.  <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/law-says-what-they-want-it-to-next-time.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/law-says-what-they-want-it-to-next-time.html</a> Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Four gun regulations would make us safer.  Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times.  July 2, 2008.  If Charlton Heston were alive, he'd be beaming. The man who filled the silver screen with chariot races and a parting of the sea played another prominent role in later years -- president of the National Rifle Association.  Heston treasured his constitutional right to own a gun and was fond of intoning at NRA conventions, with his rifle held aloft, that his weapon would be taken only "from my cold dead hands."  Now, thousands of fervent gun rights advocates can celebrate their most important court victory -- the Supreme Court decision last week that interprets the Second Amendment as giving citizens the right to have guns in their homes for self-defense. The ruling applies to residents in Washington, D.C., and soon will apply to all Americans.  In the wake of that victory, paradoxically, this might be a perfect opportunity to impose a few additional common-sense regulations on gun ownership. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-sun-times-editorial-four-gun.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-sun-times-editorial-four-gun.html</a> California fires prompt evacuations. Copyright by The International Herald Tribune By Jesse Mckinley and Mitchell L. Blumenthal.  Published: July 3, 2008.  BIG SUR, California: As flames on nearby mountaintops licked at this nearly abandoned coastal retreat on Thursday, officials in Santa Barbara County, far to the south, declared a state of emergency as a wildfire swept out of the mountains and threatened several hundred homes.  Officials ordered the evacuation of about 1,500 residents of Big Sur on Wednesday as flames flared on the nearby mountaintops and moved steadily toward this famed resort area.  Firefighters have been attacking a fire near Big Sur for 12 days and had been helped in recent days by fog, moist conditions and lighter winds. Seventeen homes have been lost here — more than half the total destroyed statewide from the first major wildfires of the season — and about 1,200 remained threatened, but many residents had been allowed to remain as the fire stayed to the east and south. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/california-fires-prompt-evacuations.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/california-fires-prompt-evacuations.html</a> Chicagoland Budget showdown—again.  The governor is calling lawmakers back to Springfield to balance the state's spending plan. They say it's a politically motivated waste of their time. By Ray Long and David Mendell.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  July 3, 2008.  Gov. Rod Blagojevich is in a bind with the state budget and he's looking for someone to blame.  He estimates that the budget lawmakers have sent him is about $2.1 billion out of balance, so he's calling them back to work next week to find the funds to pay for the spending. If they don't, and there's no sign they will, the governor wants the public to know he's not the only one responsible for the resulting cuts.  "I still cling to the hope that they might act appropriately and responsibly and pass funding," Blagojevich said Wednesday. "I'm hopeful that the House won't force these cuts." <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/budget-showdownagain.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/budget-showdownagain.html</a> Soaring taxes lead to sore taxpayers BY CAROL MARIN cmarin@suntimes.com.  Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times.  July 2, 2008.  There it was, right in front of me, the face of the Dump Todd Stroger Revolution. I witnessed it at the Starbucks on Racine and Wrightwood at 6:38 a.m. Tuesday.  The guy ahead of me was getting his usual, a grande coffee, caf not decaf.  Monday's price: $2.04.  Tuesday's price: $2.07.  The young man behind the counter explained a county sales tax hike necessitated the price hike.  The guy was grumbling. I didn't catch all of it, but two words were crystal clear: "Todd Stroger." Let's get the obvious out of the way. Lincoln Park Starbucks sippers are not the ones hardest hit by cranking up the sales tax; poor people are. The grumbling guy could downsize by dropping by Dunkin' Donuts, but he has enough money to avoid such sacrifices.  Furthermore, latte lovers in Cook County barely know there is a Cook County. They can name their alderman, but their county commissioner might as well be from Mars. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/soaring-taxes-lead-to-sore-taxpayers.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/soaring-taxes-lead-to-sore-taxpayers.html</a> I want more taxes, and so should you - The nagging voice of doubt is trying to talk me out of writing this column: By Eric Zorn.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  Originally posted: July 3, 2008.  You want to call for more sales taxes in Illinois? The very week Cook County residents are reeling and seething over the latest hike?  Yes, more sales taxes. Not higher taxes, but more taxes on more consumer transactions.  Such as?  Well, shoe repair, to name just one. When a shop fixes your boots in Illinois, you pay a fee but no tax.  That's a good thing.  Sure, if you're a cobbler or if your uppers are distressed. But if you own or shop at a store that sells new shoes and every purchase now includes up to an additional 10.25 percent in sales taxes, it's not such a good thing. It's unfair and illogical. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/i-want-more-taxes-and-so-should-you.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/i-want-more-taxes-and-so-should-you.html</a> Your Lack of Money Limbaugh signs radio contract worth $400m By Joshua Chaffin in New York.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 3 2008 00:25 | Last updated: July 3 2008 00:25.  Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talk radio host, has signed an eight-year contract extension said to be worth as much as $400m.  The deal, with Clear Channel Radio and Premiere Radio Networks, comes during the 20th year of The Rush Limbaugh Show and is among the most lucrative in broadcasting history.  It is also a reminder of Mr Limbaugh’s enormous value to the US’s ailing radio industry even as pundits have suggested his political influence may be waning.  The conservative movement that Mr Limbaugh helped propel has suffered a string of electoral setbacks and appears to have crested. At the same time, his programme is now battling for attention amid a cacophony of political bloggers.  This year, John McCain managed to secure the Republican presidential nomination in spite of opposition from Mr Limbaugh, who questioned his conservative credentials. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/limbaugh-signs-radio-contract-worth.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/limbaugh-signs-radio-contract-worth.html</a> US jobs fall for sixth straight month By Daniel PImlott in New York.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 3 2008 14:34 | Last updated: July 3 2008 15:39.  The US lost jobs in June for the sixth month in a row while unemployment remained elevated, signalling an ongoing deterioration in the labour market and helping to push back thoughts of a hike in interest rates.  Non-farm payrolls fell by 62,000 last month, only slightly more than the 55,000 jobs that economists had predicted, and in line with the upwardly revised 62,000 jobs lost last month.  However, revisions to earlier reports showed that 52,000 more jobs had been lost in the prior two months than previously thought.  “The net number is grim,” said Ian Shepherdson, economist at HFE, adding that there was “worse to come”.  The unemployment rate held at 5.5 per cent, 0.1 percentage point higher than expected. Economists had been hoping that the jobless rate would dip down again, arguing that the previous month’s sharp uptick - the biggest monthly rise in 22 years – was a statistical quirk caused by the inclusion of too many school and college leavers in the figures. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/us-jobs-fall-for-sixth-straight-month.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/us-jobs-fall-for-sixth-straight-month.html</a> Dow enters bear market as stocks slide. Thu Jul 3, 2008 12:05am BST.  Copyright by Bloomberg News  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow sank into a bear market on Wednesday as U.S. stocks fell on growing concerns about the toll that record oil prices are taking on the economy and corporate profits.  After flirting with bear market status for several sessions, the Dow closed 20 percent below its October peak as it was no longer able to withstand the avalanche of warnings about banking losses, surging inflation fears and weakening consumer confidence.  Merrill Lynch struck a negative chord early in the session when it downgraded General Motors, saying the automaker will need $15 billion to shore up liquidity. Merrill added that bankruptcy is "not impossible" for GM if the auto market continues to slump, sending GM's shares down more than 15 percent.  <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/dow-enters-bear-market-as-stocks-slide.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/dow-enters-bear-market-as-stocks-slide.html</a> Small US banks feel the pinch By Saskia Scholtes.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: June 29 2008 17:55 | Last updated: June 29 2008 17:55.  When Southern California’s oldest bank, PFF Bancorp, was sold for the fire-sale price of $30.5m this month, it was buckling under the weight of soured loans to real estate developers and its stock had plunged more than 95 per cent from its 2006 peak.  Like many small regional and community banks, PFF increased its loan portfolio over the past decade – doubling it to more than $4bn – in large part by financing commercial and residential developers and homebuilders during the house price boom. Now, as these companies struggle through the housing slump, lenders such as PFF are feeling the pinch.  Banks’ first-quarter losses on such real estate loans were more than 15 times the amount of the same quarter last year, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.  Regulators are growing increasingly concerned that many small banks have high concentrations of such loans on their books at a time when inflated house prices are collapsing and land values are falling further still. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/small-us-banks-feel-pinch.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/small-us-banks-feel-pinch.html</a> Factories feel pain as their costs rise. Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  July 2, 2008.  Each week, Ira Cooper opens a letter from another supplier with the same message as the last: We're raising our prices, effective immediately. We can't tell you how long the new prices will last.  "We used to get quotes good for six months," said Cooper, president of QED Inc., a lighting company based in Lexington, Ky. "Now you're lucky if you can get a quote good for 15 days."  Manufacturers of everything from wallpaper to cereal are feeling the same hit. The Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday that its index of prices manufacturers pay for raw materials hit 91.5 in June, up from 87 in May and the highest reading since 1979.  Its overall index of manufacturing activity was 50.2, barely breaking a five-month contraction streak. Any reading above 50 signals growth.  "While it may be too soon to say that manufacturing has begun to start growing again, it is possible that a bottom is being reached," said Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors Inc. in Holland, Pa. At the same time, "Fed members may not be as happy with the costs index moving into the stratosphere."  <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/factories-feel-pain-as-their-costs-rise.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/factories-feel-pain-as-their-costs-rise.html</a> Auto sales hit 17-year low - Normally strong June sees 18 percent slide By Rick Popely.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  July 2, 2008.   June didn't bust out all over for the auto industry. It just went bust.   Though it's usually one of the strongest sales months, this June was the industry's worst in 17 years, according to figures reported Tuesday. And there's no sign of improvement with carmakers on track to sell fewer than 15 million vehicles this year, the lowest annual total since 1995.  "Nobody expected it would be this bad," said David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research.   Industry sales in June slid 18 percent, to 1.19 million, a level typical of traditionally slow January. For the first half, sales fell 10 percent, to 7.4 million vehicles. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/auto-sales-hit-17-year-low-normally.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/auto-sales-hit-17-year-low-normally.html</a> Ford Motor's June sales skid 27.9 percent By TOM KRISHER and DEE-ANN DURBIN.  Copyright 2008 Associated Press.  11:57 AM CDT, July 1, 2008.  DETROIT - Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. sales tumbled 27.9 percent in June as high gas prices and a weak economy continued to cause trouble for Ford and the rest of the auto industry.  Ford was the first automaker to report sales data Tuesday. Analysts had predicted June auto sales could drop by double-digits to their lowest monthly rate in 16 years. Ford sales sank to a new 52-week low, while rival General Motors Corp. shares are trading near their lowest level in more than a half century.  Dearborn-based Ford blamed the latest sales decline on high gas prices and low consumer confidence, which sent buyers to the sidelines. It reported steep drops in June sales of pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, including a 41 percent year-over-year decline for the F-Series pickup, a perennial best-seller, and a 52 percent drop for the Ford Explorer SUV.  U.S. auto sales had already fallen for seven straight months as of May, the longest period of consecutive monthly drops in eight years, according to the auto information Web site Edmunds.com. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/ford-motors-june-sales-skid-279-percent.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/ford-motors-june-sales-skid-279-percent.html</a> Starbucks to close 600 stores nationwide - Slow consumer spending leads to more cutbacks By Wailin Wong.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  9:56 PM CDT, July 1, 2008.  You might have to walk a whole extra block to get your latte.  Starbucks Corp. will begin shuttering 600 stores nationwide at the end of July, cutting about 7 percent of its global workforce as it sheds unprofitable locations and responds to a drop-off in consumer spending.   The Seattle-based company said Tuesday that the store closings, coupled with a scaled-back expansion plan for its next fiscal year, will help the specialty coffee giant meet its longer-term targets for profitability. While Chief Financial Officer Pete Bocian said in a conference call, "We believe absolutely we're seeing a major impact from the economy," he also acknowledged that Starbucks' aggressive growth strategy of recent years created problems with cannibalized sales and market saturation.  Looking ahead, management will use a "much higher level of scrutiny on store performance to make sure we take action earlier," Bocian said. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/starbucks-to-close-600-stores.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/starbucks-to-close-600-stores.html</a> Deal to let Tribune draw against $300 million in future assets By James P. Miller.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  2:05 PM CDT, July 3, 2008.  Tribune Co. said Friday that it signed a $300 million asset-backed commercial paper facility with Barclay's Bank PLC, in essence raising cash against future trade receivables due to the company.  The debt-heavy Chicago media concern, which went private late last year through an $8.2 billion leveraged buyout led by real estate magnate Sam Zell, said that it initially borrowed $225 million under the facility. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/deal-to-let-tribune-draw-against-300.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/deal-to-let-tribune-draw-against-300.html</a> GM considers marching Chevy Beat mini-car into U.S. Market. Copyright by the Associated Press.  July 4, 2008.  DETROIT — General Motors Corp. is considering a new Chevrolet mini-car for the United States as it reworks its product lineup to cope with a dramatic consumer shift from trucks to cars linked to high gas prices, a spokesman said Thursday.  GM spokesman Dee Allen said bringing the Chevrolet Beat, which is about the size of a Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris mini-car, to the U.S. is among the options the company is studying. "It is certainly one of the things that is being looked at from a portfolio perspective," Allen said.  The comments came as GM shares have been trading near their lowest levels in more than a half-century, raising investor worries about the automaker's future and its ability to adjust quickly to demand for more fuel-efficient cars. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/gm-considers-marching-chevy-beat-mini.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/gm-considers-marching-chevy-beat-mini.html</a> Chrysler explores Chinese partnership By John Reed in London.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 3 2008 09:13 | Last updated: July 3 2008 12:23.  Chrysler has signed a memorandum of understanding with China’s Great Wall Motor to explore long-term business ties in areas including distribution, components and technology.  Chrysler is the smallest of Detroit’s three struggling automakers, and has been scouting for foreign partnerships to complement its shrinking, core US business, which is currently focused on large vehicles.  Chrysler said in a statement issued on Wednesday that the move was part of the company’s drive for greater involvement in China’s auto industry.  Daphne Zheng, a Chrysler spokeswoman, told the Financial Times the company would “assess the feasibility of a number of options,” and that no decisions had been made yet. She added: “We are talking to a number of Chinese automakers as part of our ongoing efforts to explore growth opportunities in this important market.” <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chrysler-explores-chinese-partnership.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chrysler-explores-chinese-partnership.html</a> Virgin rips 3 airlines' proposed alliance- American nearing pact with potential partners.  Copyright by The Associated Press.  July 4, 2008.  LONDON — An alliance between British Airways PLC, American Airlines and Iberia SA should be blocked, competitor Virgin Atlantic Ltd. said Thursday, amid reports the trio are close to applying for U.S. antitrust immunity to form a trans-Atlantic joint venture.  The three airlines aim to reach an accord on profit and revenue sharing this month, the Financial Times reported, citing executives at the carriers.  "[British Airways] has been in talks with American Airlines and Iberia for some time, but no decisions have been reached," said British Airways spokeswoman Cathy West.  British Airways and AMR Corp.'s American, the world's largest carrier, have failed in the past to win an exemption from U.S. antitrust laws to work more closely together because of their dominance at London's Heathrow Airport, where the pair have more than half the capacity to and from the U.S.  <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/virgin-rips-3-airlines-proposed.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/virgin-rips-3-airlines-proposed.html</a> Financial Times Editorial Comment: LA Confrontational.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 3 2008 19:25 | Last updated: July 3 2008 19:25.  Think of it as Kramer vs Kramer remade by Billy Wilder. An amicable break-up turns sour as two ex-partners battle to get what they want – at a moment of crucial change in the movie business. With a superstar cast, the intriguing tale of a possible strike by Hollywood actors is gripping Tinseltown.  It started with a dramatic split. The Screen Actors Guild and the smaller American Federation of Television and Radio Artists fell out after a 27-year partnership when one discovered that the other had gone behind its back to lure away the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful . The two unions are now negotiating separately about how actors should benefit from film sales on DVD and online. The unions need to co-operate but, predictably, want different things.  The negotiations are a cliffhanger. When authorities such as Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Tom Hanks and Kevin Spacey are at the table, all bets are off. Thank goodness that George Clooney has offered to mediate. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/financial-times-editorial-comment-la.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/financial-times-editorial-comment-la.html</a> Commodities Oil $144.18 Silver Bullion $18.25 Gold Bullion $932 Platinum Bullion $ $2033 Euro            $1.5689 Wednesday, July 2, 2008 Bin Laden's Dream Comes True Osama bin Laden said that he wanted oil prices to be $144 a barrel :     ''If bin Laden takes over and becomes king of Saudi Arabia, he'd turn off the tap,'' said Roger Diwan, a managing director of the Petroleum Finance Company, a consulting firm in Washington. ''He said at one point that he wants oil to be $144 a barrel'' -- about six times what it sells for now. Guess what oil closed at today? $144 a barrel. That article is from October 2001, which means oil prices have raised sixfold since the 9/11 attacks. Many of the Bush administration policies have helped instead of hindered Osama bin Laden and his minions. The Iraq war, energy policy, the weak dollar policy, and the slow shredding of the constitution have done some of Osama's work for him. It could be argued, and I would agree, that Bush has done a lot more damage to America then bin Laden ever could. Housing Today's loan rates RATE                                              LAST WEEK 30 yr fixed mtg                6.25%        6.27% 15 yr fixed mtg                5.77%        5.84% 30 yr fixed jumbo mtg    7.30%        7.38% 5/1 ARM                           5.58%        5.70% 7/1 ARM                           5.86%        5.99% The McCain Residences: A Google Earth Tour: Inspired by the McCains' recent tax default, I decided to go on a little tour of their many homes across the nation. Enjoy! <a href="http://www.jedreport.com/2008/06/the-mccain-resi.html">http://www.jedreport.com/2008/06/the-mccain-resi.html</a> International Herald Tribune Editorial: Inflation, oil dependence and the Fed's next step. Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: June 30, 2008.  Last month, Ben Bernanke, the U.S. Federal Reserve chairman, broke from the usually banal official pronouncements about the dollar to talk bluntly about the risks of inflation. He told an international conference that a weakening dollar had caused an "unwelcome rise" in inflation and pledged to guard against such dangers.  Until this recent round of comments - which other Fed officials have now joined - the Fed had focused on the turmoil in the financial markets and slowing growth, not rising prices. With the markets relatively calm during most of June, it apparently felt freer to raise warnings about inflation. The Fed's decision last Wednesday to hold interest rates steady - after a string of cuts to stabilize financial markets and support the economy - underscored its growing concern about prices.  Then came Thursday and Friday. The stock market plunged into bear market territory, leaving no doubt that the credit crunch persists and the economy is still very fragile. At the same time, oil prices surged, sharply increasing inflationary pressure. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/international-herald-tribune-editorial_30.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/international-herald-tribune-editorial_30.html</a> Bush Bashing Wednesday, July 2, 2008 Bin Laden's Dream Comes True Osama bin Laden said that he wanted oil prices to be $144 a barrel :     ''If bin Laden takes over and becomes king of Saudi Arabia, he'd turn off the tap,'' said Roger Diwan, a managing director of the Petroleum Finance Company, a consulting firm in Washington. ''He said at one point that he wants oil to be $144 a barrel'' -- about six times what it sells for now. Guess what oil closed at today? $144 a barrel. That article is from October 2001, which means oil prices have raised sixfold since the 9/11 attacks. Many of the Bush administration policies have helped instead of hindered Osama bin Laden and his minions. The Iraq war, energy policy, the weak dollar policy, and the slow shredding of the constitution have done some of Osama's work for him. It could be argued, and I would agree, that Bush has done a lot more damage to America then bin Laden ever could. Army criticizes itself in Iraq invasion report.  Army history of Iraq war's first two years says U.S. was unprepared for chaos.  U.S.-led coalition didn't have enough troops after Saddam Hussein's fall, report says  "This is a recipe for disaster," one general recalls saying of one decision.  Copyright by CNN News.  June 30, 2008  (CNN) -- The U.S. Army's official history of the Iraq war shows military chiefs made mistake after mistake in the early months of the conflict.  Failures to recognize the chaos engulfing the country and to send in enough troops to restore order after the 2003 invasion have long been highlighted by critics, but a new report shows the Army assessing itself.  Frank opinions from officers serving in the 18 months from the start of war to Iraqi elections in January 2005 reveal there were concerns at the time, not just about assumptions made by planners but at decisions taken once U.S.-led coalition forces had control of Iraq.  "I flipped," Gen. Jack Keane, then the Army's deputy chief of staff, told the historians of his reaction to a June 2003 decision to transfer control of all coalition troops away from the land forces command that had been preparing for the mission. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/army-criticizes-itself-in-iraq-invasion.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/army-criticizes-itself-in-iraq-invasion.html</a> Bush used phony patriotism to start war By ANDREW GREELEY agreel@aol.com.  Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times.  July 2, 2008.  The Russians call World War II "The Great Patriotic War." The current longest of our wars could well be called the same thing. It is a war that originated in the orgy of patriotism ("U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!") that followed the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and has been sustained by the patriotism of those who support it ("Our soldiers are defending American freedom") and false promises of some latter-day prophets ("We are winning the war in Iraq.") It is likely to be revived by the Iranian attack that the McCainites see as their main chance of winning the election.  The president was right in his spontaneous reaction when he first heard of the attack -- "This is war!" The subtext was, "Now I'll be a wartime president and people will forget about Florida and how Antonin Scalia stole the election." The Arabs had killed 3,000 Americans; we had to kill at least that many of them.  The issue was: Which Arabs? The obvious target was Saudi Arabia. Most of the terrorists were from that country, indeed products of the religious education that the country provided for its devout young men. But the Saudi royal family has excellent relations with the American oil companies. So very early in the discussions the neo-cons in the administration began to promote the idea of attacking Iraq. The road to Jerusalem, they argued, is through Baghdad. The administration's neo-cons were (and are) very heavy thinkers. They write great memos. The days when the country was hesitating, some of them found a story about cooperation between al-Qaida and the Iraq government that seemed to legitimate an attack on Iraq. Some of their allies in the media, most notably the Wall Street Journal, insisted that this fable was true. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/bush-used-phony-patriotism-to-start-war.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/bush-used-phony-patriotism-to-start-war.html</a> Judges cite nonsense poem in Guantanamo case By MATT APUZZO.  Copyright 2008 Associated Press.  2:03 PM CDT, June 30, 2008.  WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court reviewing evidence at Guantanamo Bay compared a Bush administration legal argument to one made by a hapless, dimwitted character in a 19th century nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll.  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit cited the 1876 poem, "The Hunting of the Snark," in ruling that the military improperly labeled a Chinese Muslim as an enemy combatant. The ruling was issued last week but an unclassified version of the opinion was released only Monday.  It was the first time a court has reviewed the military's decision-making and considered whether a detainee should be held. The ruling provides guidance to federal district judges, who are about to begin reviewing dozens of such cases now that the Supreme Court says detainees can challenge their detention in federal court. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/judges-cite-nonsense-poem-in-guantanamo.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/judges-cite-nonsense-poem-in-guantanamo.html</a> U.S. interrogators were taught Chinese coercion techniques at Guantánamo By Scott Shane.  Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: July 2, 2008.  WASHINGTON: The military trainers who came to Guantánamo Bay in December 2002 based an entire interrogation class on a chart showing the effects of "coercive management techniques" for possible use on prisoners, including "sleep deprivation," "prolonged constraint" and "exposure."  What the trainers did not say, and may not have known, was that their chart had been copied verbatim from a 1957 air force study of Chinese techniques used during the Korean War to obtain confessions, many of them false, from American prisoners.  The recycled chart is the latest and most vivid evidence of the way Chinese interrogation methods that the United States long described as torture became the basis for interrogations both by the military at the base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and by the Central Intelligence Agency.  Some methods were used against a small number of prisoners at Guantánamo before 2005, when Congress banned the use of coercion by the military.  The CIA is still authorized by President George W. Bush to use a number of secret "alternative" interrogation methods.  <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/us-interrogators-were-taught-chinese.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/us-interrogators-were-taught-chinese.html</a> International Herald Tribune Editorial: More waste, fraud and abuse. Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: July 1, 2008.  Congressman Henry Waxman recently asked a question for which we would also like an answer: "How did a company run by a 21-year-old president and a 25-year-old former masseur get a sensitive $300 million contract to supply ammunition to Afghan forces?" Waxman raised the issue after executives of a Miami Beach arms dealer, AEY, were indicted on fraud charges this month, accused of pawning off tens of millions of banned and decrepit Chinese cartridges on the U.S. Army to supply Afghan security forces. The Pentagon's folly with the fly-by-night trafficker is just the latest example of the Bush administration's cynically cozy contracting practices and shockingly weak oversight that have wasted billions of dollars of taxpayers' money. Congressional investigators took testimony from a U.S. military attaché who accused the American ambassador in Albania of helping to cover up the Chinese ammunition's origins. The ambassador, John Withers, denies wrongdoing. But Waxman is wisely working to map the dimensions of fraud and waste. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/international-herald-tribune-editorial_01.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/international-herald-tribune-editorial_01.html</a> International Herald Tribune Editorial: Prosecuting war profiteers.  Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: July 3, 2008.  Unless the U.S. Congress closes a gaping hole in the law against war profiteering, companies ripping off taxpayers in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars may never be fully prosecuted. This is because the latest conflicts are not declared wars.  The anti-fraud law dating to World War II allows prosecution of contractors up to three years after a war ends. But this statute of limitations was omitted from the resolutions authorizing military force in Iraq and Afghanistan, which carried no formal war declaration.  Investigators say that current war fraud runs into untold billions, including faulty ammunition and vehicles and not-so-bullet-proof vests. Investigative officials and the inspector general for Iraq reconstruction have testified that they're hampered by the ongoing conflicts and need more time to catch contract thieves after they end.  The solution is a bipartisan bill clarifying that "war" absolutely includes congressional authorizations of military force. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/international-herald-tribune-editorial_03.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/international-herald-tribune-editorial_03.html</a> Indecision 2008 Obama "Dignity" TV Ad <a href="http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1185304443?bctid=1634707861">http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1185304443?bctid=1634707861</a> Can Obama rescue Bush legacy? By Jonah Goldberg.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  July 2, 2008.  Breaking news! The ultimate White House insider plans a tell-all book about the Bush years. With boasts of unprecedented access to the president's thinking, it will run counter to almost everything we have been told about Bush's radical presidency.   Who will be the latest to break the code of silence after former White House press secretary Scott McClellan? George W. Bush. At least that's what went through my mind listening to the president during a meeting with journalists in the Oval Office Monday. The session, maddeningly and often foolishly punctuated by long, off-the-record musings and soliloquies, mostly dealt with foreign policy. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/can-obama-rescue-bush-legacy.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/can-obama-rescue-bush-legacy.html</a> McCain shuffles staff as criticism mounts By Andrew Ward in Washington.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 3 2008 00:04 | Last updated: July 3 2008 00:04.  John McCain has reshuffled his senior campaign staff amid mounting Republican concern at his ability to compete with Barack Obama in November’s election.  The Republican presidential candidate has put Steve Schmidt, a combative former aide to Dick Cheney, the vice-president, in charge of day-to-day operations in an effort to sharpen his campaign. Rick Davis, a longtime McCain ally, will remain campaign manager but shift his focus to long-term strategy.  The shake-up follows weeks of grumbling among conservative commentators and some Republican operatives at Mr McCain’s performance. Critics say his campaign has been erratic and error-prone and slow to build grassroots operations in swing states.  McCain officials dismiss much of the criticism as Washington tittle-tattle, pointing out that Mr Obama’s average five-point lead in recent national opinion polls is hardly insurmountable. They argue it should be Democrats who are alarmed by the tightness of the race, given the strength of political headwinds blowing against the Republicans. But Wednesday’s staff changes indicate that some of the concerns are shared by Mr McCain. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/mccain-shuffles-staff-as-criticism.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/mccain-shuffles-staff-as-criticism.html</a> Blogs bring new reality to US polls By Richard Waters in San Francisco.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.Published: June 30 2008 22:12 | Last updated: June 30 2008 22:12.  Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have crossed swords with the biggest names in the media world, but that did not help either recently when they came up against a 61-year-old Californian amateur brandishing a $40 Sony digital voice recorder.  Mayhill Fowler, a blogger for political maven Arianna Huffington’s Huffington Post website, represents something new in election-year politics.  For all their mastery of the TV soundbite, the stump speech and the staged debate, it is becoming increasingly difficult with “citizen journalists” joining the fray for campaign media managers to influence how their candidate’s message is disseminated.  “The campaigns work harder and harder to prevent disasters but, inevitably, there will be cracks in the façade,” says Ms Fowler, an enthusiast who has paid her own way to be on the campaign trail almost continuously since late December. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/blogs-bring-new-reality-to-us-polls.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/blogs-bring-new-reality-to-us-polls.html</a> GLBT Historic Pride 2008: Pride perseveres by Amy Wooten.  Copyright by The Windy City Times.  2008-07-02.  A rather unique Pride Parade made history as it welcomed John Pennycuff and Robert Castillo ( pictured ) , who married in San Francisco last Friday. Photo by Kat Fitzgerald. See many more by Tracy Baim, Robb Olson, Amy Wooten and Kat Fitzgerald at www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com/photos/PrideParade2008-AmyWooten2 and at www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com/photos/PrideParade2008-KatFitzgerald.  Chicago proved that, rain or shine, it is going to celebrate Pride./450,000 turn out on streets of Boystown By Matt Simonette.  Copyright by Chicago Free Press.  June 2, 2008.  A few downpours and delays were not enough to dampen the spirit of most revelers who turned out for the 2008 Gay Pride Parade in Chicago.  Parade officials estimated that about 450,000 people lined the parade route from Belmont and Halsted to Halsted and Broadway, and back down Broadway to Diversey. More than 250 entries registered for the parade and represented a breadth of community, political and business interests.   One parade viewer, looking at a bus sporting the names of several prominent law firms, commented, “Thank God we’ve become so boring.” <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/historic-pride-2008-pride-perseveres.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/historic-pride-2008-pride-perseveres.html</a> Politics, pageantry mingle at Chicago gay pride parade - Participants seek support for same-sex marriage By Kristen Kridel.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  11:37 PM CDT, June 29, 2008  The first sign that the throngs lining East Lakeview streets Sunday could see on the convertible of Robert Castillo and John Pennycuff was a big thank-you to California on the hood. Smaller posters on the sides and back boasted "Just married."  "Yeah, California!" a man shouted to the local newlyweds, who took advantage of the California Supreme Court's decision last month to overturn a ban on gay marriage.  Support for same-sex marriages surfaced in various ways during Chicago's 39th annual Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade. Castillo and Pennycuff planned their wedding trip so they could return just in time to take a celebratory lap along the route, parade coordinator Richard Pfeiffer said. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/politics-pageantry-mingle-at-chicago.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/politics-pageantry-mingle-at-chicago.html</a> Michelle Obama pledges support for GLBT rights By Samantha Gross.  Copyright by The Associated Press.  July 2, 2008.  NEW YORK—Barack Obama will fight for equal rights for gays just as he fought to help working-class families overcome poverty, the Democratic presidential hopeful’s wife told a gay Democratic group June 26.  Recalling his past work as a community organizer to help struggling families, Michelle Obama said he would take the same approach as president.  “Barack believes that we must fight for the world as it should be, a world where together we work to reverse discriminatory laws,” she said at a Manhattan fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee’s Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council.  Michelle Obama also drew a connection between the struggles for gay rights and civil rights.  “We are all only here because of those who marched and bled and died, from Selma to Stonewall, in the pursuit of a more perfect union,” she said at the event, held days before the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots between gays and New York police, and the city’s annual gay pride parade./Chicago Free Press Editorial: A chance for change. Copyright by Chicago Free Press.  July 2, 2008.  It was a great speech Michelle Obama gave to the Democratic National Committee’s Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council June 26 in New York.  Obama went point by promising point, pledging her husband’s active support to pass employment protections for GLBTs, end the military’s ban on openly gay and lesbian personnel and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits federal recognition of the marriages of gay and lesbian couples.  “Barack believes that we must fight for the world as it should be, a world where together we work to reverse discriminatory laws,” Michelle Obama said. “The world as it is should be one that rejects discrimination of all kinds.”  She showed just how much she gets it by eloquently connecting two iconic moments in the struggles blacks and GLBTs have waged for equality. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/michelle-obama-pledges-support-for-glbt.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/michelle-obama-pledges-support-for-glbt.html</a> Greg Harris talks civil unions by JOHN LENDMAN.  Copyright by The Windy City Times.  2008-07-02.  With the dust settling on the Great California gay-marriage rush, state legislators in Illinois are working on passing the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act ( House Bill 1826 ) as a model for the rest of the Nation to follow.  Windy City Times recently spoke with the only openly gay member of the legislature, State Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, the sponsor of HB 1826, on why this may be the most important piece of legislation this year.  Rep. Greg Harris: Did you see the Chicago Tribune Today? The lead editorial is in support of civil unions in Illinois. It's like the biggest Republican newspaper in the state; it's a big deal.  Windy City Times: Yeah, that is surprising. How is House Bill 1826 progressing in the general assembly? <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/greg-harris-talks-civil-unions.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/greg-harris-talks-civil-unions.html</a> Cook Co. commissioners pass same-sex measure.  News Update Tues., July 1, 2008.  Copyright by The Windy City Times by Amy Wooten.  Cook County commissioners just approved a measure that changes a county ordinance to benefit same-sex couples that get married in another state.  The Cook County State's Attorney Office told Windy City Times that the measure, spearheaded by Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley, was passed July 1. Two commissioners—Liz Doody-Gorman and Gregg Goslin—voted against the measure, which changed the ordinance so that same-sex couples who work for the county won't lose their benefits if they are married elsewhere.  If the measure didn't pass, couples would not have been allowed to remain registered with Cook County and receive domestic-partner benefits.  The approval follows a recent California decision legalizing gay marraige. Since June 17, gay and lesbian couples across the U.S., including couples from Cook County, have flocked to California to tie the knot. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/cook-co-commissioners-pass-same-sex.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/cook-co-commissioners-pass-same-sex.html</a> Historic trans hearing takes place in Congress by Bob Roehr.  Copyright by The Windy City Times.  2008-07-02.  The first every federal hearing on workplace protection from transgender persons took place June 26 before the education and labor subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives.  Shannon Minter. Reps. Barney Frank ( left ) and Tammy Baldwin testified at the June 26 hearing. Photos by Bob Roehr  Subcommittee Chairman Robert Andrews, D-N.J., said under federal law it is permissible to fire persons, or refuse to hire them, because they are transgender or are perceived to be gender non-conforming. “To me, this makes no sense whatsoever.” Employment should depend only upon how well one does the job.  He added, “We don't measure our duty by the quantity of those who are aggrieved, we measure it by the depth of the grievance of those who are being discriminated against.” <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/historic-trans-hearing-takes-place-in.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/historic-trans-hearing-takes-place-in.html</a> Dyke March: Different neighborhood, same message by Yasmin Nair.  Copyright by The Windy City Time.  2008-07-02.  This year, Dyke March moved to Pilsen, and attracted over a thousand people, according to organizers—the largest contingent in its history. In the weeks beforehand, several questions were raised, including one often voiced anonymously: Are there any queers in Pilsen? More photos at www.windycitymediagroup.com/photos/DykeMarch2008-EmmanuelGarcia and at www.windycitymediagroup.com/photos/DykeMarch2008-TracyBaim  Others wondered: What would happen when mostly white tranny fags, dykes, lesbians, queers, and gender-fuckers found themselves in the midst of a vibrant neighborhood that's embattled by immigration raids; where the predominant language is Spanish; and whose residents have frequently been painted as homophobic? <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/dyke-march-different-neighborhood-same.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/dyke-march-different-neighborhood-same.html</a> Schism means two Black Prides by MARK CORECE.  Copyright by The Windy City Times.  2008-07-02.  Due to conflict and disputes, 2007 was an unstable year for Windy City Black Pride. After a successful pride celebration with former president Charles Nelson, the then-9-year-old organization began to wilt when accusations of Nelson being “incompetent” and an “overzealous leader” bothered board members.  Although some form of celebration has been around since the early ‘90s, Windy City Black Pride was not official until 1998 ( not being recognized nationally until 2000 ) ; it was spearheaded by Ken Pickens, who remained president until 2000, according to current treasurer Keith McCoy. Thayer Johnson followed Pickens from 2001-2003 and each year following 2003 a new president has surfaced; 2004 being a year with no president at all.  Some may have predicted this given the presidential turnover of Chicago's Black pride. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/schism-means-two-black-prides.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/schism-means-two-black-prides.html</a> Ryan White’s mom talks about fight with AIDS By Matt Simonette.  Copyright by The Chicago Free Press.  July 2, 2008.  The Center on Halsted observed National HIV Awareness Day June 27 with a morning-long forum that included a keynote presentation given by Jeanne White-Ginder, the mother of Ryan White.  White-Ginder described her son’s initial bouts with hemophilia, his diagnosis with AIDS, their community’s hostile reaction and the family’s eventual activist work.  White-Ginder said of her son, “He was only supposed to live three to six months. Instead he lasted five and a half years.” By getting his story across, she added, “He felt like he had something to live for.”  “Ryan felt like he had a responsibility to let everyone know what it was like to live with AIDS,” she said.  Ryan was infected from using Factor 8, an experimental drug that was to treat his hemophilia. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/ryan-whites-mom-talks-about-fight-with.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/ryan-whites-mom-talks-about-fight-with.html</a> Appointment of Agent to Control Disposition of Remains By Roger McCaffrey-Boss.  Copyright by Gay Chicago Magazine and Roger McCaffrey-Boss.  July 2, 2008.  Q: We are planning to get married in California next month. We have wills but wonder if our marriage will offer us any extra benefits? What else beside a will do you suggest that we have?  A: Even though you may be married in California, that will carry no legal benefit in Illinois. A periodic review of changes in the estate planning laws, tax laws and updating your powers of attorney are essential to all couples if you want to have a worry free legal support system, even though married. The following are four points that I think relevant for 2008 to all married and non-married couples.  Appointment of Agent To Control Disposition of Remains. Pursuant to the new Disposition of Remains Act, effective January 1, 2006, unless a decedent has left directions in writing for the disposition of the decedent’s remains as provided in the Crematory Regulation Act, only certain persons, in the priority listed, have the right to control the disposition, including cremation, of the decedent’s remains. None of them listed include your LGBT partner. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/appointment-of-agent-to-control.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/appointment-of-agent-to-control.html</a> Health Care Sense of crisis prevails in US healthcare By Nicholas Timmins Public Policy Editor.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: June 30 2008 22:19 | Last updated: June 30 2008 22:19.  America’s healthcare system is broken. If there is one statement on which the majority of Republicans and Democrats agree – along with employers and individuals and even some health plans – that is it. Fixing it will be another matter.  Hard numbers explain the sense of crisis – and why all the presidential candidates in recent US primaries felt the need to offer at least a partial blueprint for reform.  Since 2000, premiums have risen 91 per cent on average, while wages have risen 24 per cent, and there are now 47m people – 16 per cent of the population – without insurance for all or part of the year, though they include the young, fit and well-off who eschew cover.  But as worrying for the sense of national wellbeing is what is happening to a 25m-strong group known as the “under-insured”, whose plight is taking the healthcare crisis to the heart of the middle class. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/sense-of-crisis-prevails-in-us.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/sense-of-crisis-prevails-in-us.html</a> Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Stalling on AIDS bill puts more lives at risk. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times.  June 29, 2008.  Congressional foot-dragging on a $50 billion, five-year plan to extend the fight against the global AIDS pandemic has gone on long enough.  A band of fiscally conservative Republican senators is blocking a vote on the bipartisan President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. In April, the House passed its version of the bill that targets HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa and other parts of the world.  The bill is a compromise, containing elements we disagree with, but it's better than nothing.  A key issue was whether countries would be told how to spend money dedicated to HIV/AIDS or would they have the automony to spend it as they saw fit. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/chicago-sun-times-editorial-stalling-on.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/chicago-sun-times-editorial-stalling-on.html</a> Chicago Tribune Editorial - Docs and secret shoppers.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  June 30, 2008.  Ever sat simmering in the doctor's office, waiting for a delayed appointment? Ever had to deal with rude, unhelpful or otherwise surly desk clerks, assistants, nurses or other staff in the same office? Ever felt treated like a chart or a statistic, not a human being?  We're guessing that many readers are nodding their heads right about now.   But we're also guessing that many of them either don't complain to the doctor or don't complain effectively. And maybe doctors and their staffs aren't listening all that carefully.   A committee of the American Medical Association recently suggested another way to gauge performance in the doctor's office: Send in a secret shopper.   Secret shoppers are dispatched to retail stores, restaurants and hotels to pose as customers in order to measure customer service and quality. So why not send them into doctor's offices to do the same? <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/chicago-tribune-editorial-docs-and.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/chicago-tribune-editorial-docs-and.html</a> Technology Microsoft to sell Office, OneCare for $70 a year By JESSICA MINTZ.  Copyright 2008 Associated Press.  8:00 AM CDT, July 2, 2008.  SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. will begin selling its Office programs to consumers on a subscription basis starting mid-July, in a bid to reach thrifty PC buyers who would otherwise pass on productivity software.  The software bundle, which also includes Microsoft's Live OneCare computer security software, will be sold at nearly 700 Circuit City stores for $70 per year.  Bryson Gordon, a group product manager for the Office group, said in an interview that the agreement with Circuit City Stores Inc. is not exclusive, and that the bundle will be available at other retailers and on PCs sold by the likes of Dell Inc. in the future.  Subscription pricing for software has become commonplace in businesses but is a relatively new concept for consumers. The Microsoft Equipt bundle -- formerly code-named "Albany" -- includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, plus OneCare and a handful of existing free Windows Live applications. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/microsoft-to-sell-office-onecare-for-70.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/microsoft-to-sell-office-onecare-for-70.html</a> AT&T offers new option of iPhone without contract By PETER SVENSSON.  Copyright 2008 Associated Press.  10:55 AM CDT, July 1, 2008.  NEW YORK - AT&T Inc. will sell the new version of the iPhone without a service contract for $400 more than the price with a two-year plan, a break from the rules set when Apple Inc.'s popular touch-screen gadget debuted last year.  Two new models of iPhones go on sale July 11 for $199 and $299, depending on the amount of memory, with two-year AT&T contracts. The contract-free versions will cost $599 and $699 and will be sold sometime "in the future," AT&T said.  The phones sold under contract are subsidized by AT&T, which expects to make the money back through monthly service fees over the life of the contract.  Without a contract, users can cancel service without incurring an early termination fee. But both contract and contract-free phones will be "locked" to work only on AT&T's network, and the monthly service plans available will be the same, said AT&T spokesman Michael Coe. The plans add a $30 monthly charge for data like e-mail and Web surfing on top of a calling plan.  <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/at-offers-new-option-of-iphone-without.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/at-offers-new-option-of-iphone-without.html</a> Other Ebay ordered to pay €38m to LVMH over fakes By Nikki Tait in Brussels and Richard Waters in San Francisco.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: June 30 2008 13:13 | Last updated: June 30 2008 20:31.  A French court has hit at the heart of Ebay’s business model by ordering the online retailer to pay almost €40m to LVMH, the French luxury goods maker, for failing to do enough to block sales of counterfeit goods.  The world’s biggest e-commerce company was also ordered to block sales of genuine bottles of perfume made by four LVMH brands after the court ruled that it had breached the selective distribution agreements LVMH uses to control where and how the perfume is sold.  Ebay said it would appeal against both rulings, claiming the decisions could have much broader implications for online commerce by imposing restrictions on the way goods can be sold and hence consumer choice.  The French ruling comes as a US court prepares to issue its verdict in a similar high-profile case brought by Tiffany, bringing to a head the long-running dispute between Ebay and owners of some of the world’s most famous luxury brands. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/ebay-ordered-to-pay-38m-to-lvmh-over.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/06/ebay-ordered-to-pay-38m-to-lvmh-over.html</a> Humor A worldwide poll <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/worldwide-poll.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/worldwide-poll.html</a> 9 Dangerous Words Women Use <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/9-dangerous-words-women-use.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/9-dangerous-words-women-use.html</a> New! Carlos now has an online store. Order your books directly from Carlos and have them signed and dedicated. <a href="http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/">http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/</a> In Pride (orgullo), Carlos T. Mock, MD Www.carlostmock.com Author: Borrowing Time: A Latino Sexual Odyssey - Floricanto Press 2003. Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table. Author: The Mosaic Virus – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation Author: Author: Papi Chulo – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation </BODY> </HTML>