KOREA - North Korea, Good Riddance to "Dear Leader"

Put this in my "good riddance" file.... also see: KOREA - North Korea = Orwellian Society

Notice ONLY one lit spot in "Dear Leader's" North Korea?
(click for better view)


"After Kim Jong-il's Death, North Korea Marks Hereditary Passage of Power" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 12/19/2011

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour): North Korea marked the passing of power today to a scion of the same family that's ruled unchallenged since World War II. Official media reported Kim Jong-il had died after 17 years in power, bequeathing the communist country to his youngest son.

As state television reported it, word of Kim's death affected everyone, from the news reader, to officials depicted as sobbing at the moment they heard the news, to ordinary people shown grieving on the streets of Pyongyang for the Dear Leader.

WOMAN (through translator): He loved us so much that, once, he came here in the freezing weather and walked all the way up to the third floor. He asked us to work hard to feed the nation.

JEFFREY BROWN: The regime reported the 69-year-old Kim Jong-il died early Saturday after suffering a heart attack as he toured the country by train. He had suffered a stroke in 2008.

Kim took over the leadership in 1994 on the death of his father, Kim Il-Sung, the founder of modern-day North Korea known as the Great Leader. Both men ruled an isolated, hard-line communist state with few allies.

China, though, has long been among them. And, in Beijing today, a Foreign Ministry spokesman praised Kim's memory.

LIU WEIMIN, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (through translator): He made important contributions to developing North Korea's socialist cause and promoting good neighborly and cooperative relations between China and North Korea.

We believe the North Korean people will definitely be able to turn sorrow into strength and remain united as one to continuously push forward their socialist cause.

JEFFREY BROWN: Kim had ruled for 17 years, appearing in public with -- and sometimes satirized outside the country for -- his bouffant hairdo, platform shoes and jumpsuits. He was said to have a taste for Western films and cognac.

But there was a very dark side, repression of all dissent, and, like his father, Kim continued a military-first policy, with 1.2 million troops under arms. North Korea periodically showed off missile launches, including one even today. And Kim's pursuit of nuclear weapons kept the world on edge, especially after 2006, when the North conducted the first of two underground test explosions.

Last year, a conventional weapons clash drove the two Koreas to the brink, after the North sank the South Korean warship Cheonan, killing 46 sailors, and then fired on a South Korean island.

Today, on word of Kim's death, South Korea's military went on high alert, and the Seoul government called emergency Cabinet meetings.

PARK JEONG-HA, South Korean Presidential Office (through translator): Peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula is the first priority for the future of South Korea. This situation shouldn't be a threat to peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula. In order to maintain stability, we must be thoroughly prepared.

JEFFREY BROWN: American troops in South Korea didn't go on higher alert, but Kim's death could delay U.S. decisions to re-engage the North on ending its nuclear program and on providing new food aid.

Under Kim, North Korea has been chronically unable to feed its population of 23 million. A famine in the late 1990s reportedly killed more than 200,000. And, afterward, more North Koreans began trying to escape the repressive regime. The problem has only marginally improved. The country still relies heavily on food aid, and many children are malnourished.

In Washington today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced hope for improved relations after meeting with the Japanese foreign minister.

SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: We both share a common interest in a peaceful and stable transition in North Korea, as well as in ensuring regional peace and stability. We reiterate our hope for improved relations with the people of North Korea and remain deeply concerned about their well-being.

JEFFREY BROWN: Part of any such hope will depend on Kim's chosen successor, his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, who was proclaimed as a -- quote -- "great successor to his father."

The younger Kim is believed to be in his late 20s. Last year, he was made a four-star general and vice chairman of a key commission in the ruling Workers party -- Kim Jong-un's first major task: overseeing the state funeral for his father scheduled for Dec. 28.

"If Kim Jong-un Fails to Control Arsenal, North Korea Could Be 'Truly Terrifying'" (Part-2)
PBS Newshour 12/19/2011

HEALTHCARE - Medicare Ripoffs? Wolf in the Hen-House

This should remind us that big money attracts crooks.

"California Hospital Chain Eyed for Possibly Bilking Medicare for Millions" PBS Newshour 12/19/2011

Excerpt

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour): And speaking of Medicare, America spends more than $500 billion every year on Medicare for elderly patients. Now, as the cost of health care rises, many are examining exactly how that money is spent.

Our partners at the Center for Investigative Reporting have conducted a yearlong probe into one prominent hospital chain's Medicare costs. In an online report released Sunday, the center's California Watch project examined whether the chain is attracting the toughest medical cases, or is exaggerating conditions in order to increase revenues.

Our version of that story is reported by Lance Williams of California Watch.

COMMENT: The basic problem that makes such fraud easier is the use of codes. If Medicare wanted to make it easier to police fraud it needs to STOP the use of ONLY codes and mandate full descriptions. Also make it criminally illegal to change a doctors diagnosis OR pressure doctors to diagnose of any specific condition.

WORLD - Memorial, Legacy of Vaclav Havel

My deepest condolences to the Czech people. The world has lost a fine man.

"Madeleine Albright on Vaclav Havel's 'Massive Moral Authority, Great Courage'" PBS Newshour 12/19/2011

Excerpt

JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour): Thousands of Czechs braved the freezing cold in Prague today to pay their respects to former President Vaclav Havel, who died Sunday at age 75. A renowned playwright who fought Soviet rule of the former Czechoslovakia for more than 20 years, Havel went from dissident to leader almost overnight, after the so-called Velvet Revolution of December 1989, when Czechs and Slovaks took to the streets to demand an end to communist rule.

The communist government fell. And on Dec. 29, 1989, Vaclav Havel was elected president. Four years later, his country split in two, forming the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Havel served as president of the independent Czech Republic for 10 more years, retiring in 2003.

After news of Havel's death spread, thousands gathered at the monument of the Velvet Revolution in downtown Prague to lay flowers and light candles.

LAW - Fannie, Freddie Civil Fraud Update

"Former Fannie, Freddie Officials Face 'Significant' Fraud, Lying Charges" PBS Newshour 12/16/2011

Excerpt

JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour): The people who were running two mortgage giants when the housing bubble burst were formally accused today of civil fraud. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit naming six former executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The six were accused of lying about how deeply Fannie and Freddie had invested in securities backed by risky home mortgages.

LAW - WikiLeaks, Manning Trial Update

"Alleged WikiLeaks Source Manning Faces First Court Appearance" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 12/16/2011

Excerpt

RAY SUAREZ (Newshour): The normally tight security at Fort Meade, Md., outside Washington was tighter still today. It was the first court appearance for Army Pvt. Bradley Manning, accused as the prime source for the WikiLeaks document dumps.

The Army intelligence analyst, who turns 24 tomorrow, faced an Article 32 hearing, a military grand jury proceeding. Prosecutors hoped to show there's enough evidence to court-martial Manning on 22 charges, including espionage and aiding the enemy. It all stems from the largest disclosure of classified information in U.S. history.

JULIAN ASSANGE, WikiLeaks: The first casualty of war is the truth.

RAY SUAREZ: In three installments, the website founded by anti-secrecy advocate Julian Assange posted a fraction of the many thousands of classified documents it was given about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and a trove of State Department cables.

MAN: This is Bushmaster 7. Roger. Engage.

RAY SUAREZ: Among the most incendiary releases, video from a U.S. attack helicopter over Baghdad in 2007.

MAN: Oh, yes, look at that, right through the windshield.

(LAUGHTER)

RAY SUAREZ: The gun crew killed 11 men they deemed a threat. It turned out one of the dead was a cameraman for the Reuters news service.

Then there were the State Department cables showing U.S. efforts to curb Iran's influence and offering blunt appraisals of corrupt Middle East regimes. Top U.S. officials gave no details, but insisted the leaks caused severe damage to national security.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was out front then and again yesterday.

SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: It was a very unfortunate and damaging actions that -- action that were taken that put at risk individuals and relationships, to an extent that we took it very seriously and launched a vigorous diplomatic effort to try to counter.

RAY SUAREZ: Since his arrest 19 months ago, Manning has been jailed with unusually restrictive conditions at both the Marine base at Quantico, Va., and lately, at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

Supporters charge his treatment, solitary confinement and routine denial of clothing, has been tantamount to torture. A small group gathered outside Fort Meade today.

If convicted, Manning, who left court today under heavy guard, could face life in prison.

"In Manning Trial, Tracing WikiLeaks Files to Harm May Be 'Extremely Complicated'" (Part-2)
PBS Newshour 12/16/2011

HEALTH - Lab-Grown Human Spare Parts

"Spare Parts for Humans: Tissue Engineers Aim for Lab-Grown Limbs, Lungs and More" PBS Newshour 12/15/2011

Excerpt

MILES O'BRIEN (Newshour): I am not sure when or why I thought it was a good idea to go for a bike ride on a 100-degree Texas afternoon with a 26-year-old Marine corporal. There I was eating Isaias Hernandez's dirt. No surprise, right? Well, take a look at his right thigh.

CPL. ISAIAS HERNANDEZ, U.S. Marine Corps: It looked like a chicken, like if you would take a bite out of it down to the bone.

MILES O'BRIEN: It happened in Iraq in 2004. He was badly injured in an artillery attack on his convoy.

CPL. ISAIAS HERNANDEZ: They patched it up because they said the other thank option would be amputation because they couldn't just leave my leg on with a hole in it.

DR. STEPHEN BADYLAK, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine: You need people who think quantitatively and qualitatively working together on problems like this.

MILES O'BRIEN: What he did was reach out to this man. Dr. Steve Badylak is deputy director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, where they are in the vanguard of a fast-moving field called tissue engineering. The goal? Grow tissue or even whole organs to repair damaged or diseased human bodies.

Here, they are using pig bladders to help grow human muscle -- that's right, pig bladders. It turns out, they are a good source of a fundamental biological building block known as the extracellular matrix.

CYBERCRIME - Battle Over Online Piracy

"Film, Music Industries Battle Leading Internet Companies Over Online Piracy"
PBS Newshour 12/15/2011


Excerpts

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour): Alright.

Markham Erickson, first, do you acknowledge piracy is a problem? I mean, all over the Internet, one can get copyright -- there are copyright violations.

MARKHAM ERICKSON, Open Internet Coalition: Well, sure. People are doing bad things on the Internet. And we agree that there are ways to try to deal with the very real problem of sites that are located outside of the jurisdiction of our court system and our legal system that are engaging in theft and illegal activity.

JEFFREY BROWN: What's the problem with the way they are proposing?

MARKHAM ERICKSON: The problem is, the proposals in Congress right now are not targeted to the problem of dealing with offshore illegal piracy.

We think there is a way to deal with that. And we've proposed a solution, which is to follow the money. The offshore sites are there to make money. They're there to profit from illegal activity. The companies I represent -- represent are some of the biggest ad networks and payment processors in the Internet ecosystem.

And they want to work with the rights-holders that, when an offshore site is engaged in illegal activity, they will shut off the economic lifeblood to those sites. And, if they do that, those sites will disappear.
----
JEFFREY BROWN: And what -- Mr. O'Leary, what about the proposed other -- the alternative route for dealing with this that he raised?

MICHAEL O'LEARY, Motion Picture Association of America: Well, I think that it's the -- to look at it from a positive perspective, it's encouraging to see a recognition that something has to be done about this problem.

I think that what we have concerns with the alternative proposal is that it sets up a separate court in the ITC. And that is not something which is necessarily used to deal with copyright. It's slow. It's bureaucratic. And, frankly, when someone is stealing from you, you don't have 12 to 18 months to work -- to let the bureaucratic court process work.

What we're proposing, what has bipartisan support, we have a broad support from not just the political spectrum, but across all types of American businesses is something which is a tool which will allow law enforcement to go after bad actors that are hiding overseas. We think it's more effective and more efficient.

COMMENT: As a techie in this area I support Mr. Erickson's view.

Note that Mr. O'Leary is NOT a computer network expert, he's only repeating what others have told him. His assertion that the proposed law is "more efficient" is wrong. Having the online payment processors shut-down payments to illegal sites is actually more efficient because it would NOT *require* courts at all. This could be done by the online payment processors themselves.

What the copy right industry SHOULD be doing is making a partnership with online payment processors to identify then block illegal sites. What I am proposing is that the film, music, and book industries with the online payment processors start their own origination to find, track, then block illegal sites.

The courts would only intervene IF a site disputes being blocked. Note that the online payment processors have total rights and control on just who they allow to use their services.

What is wrong with the proposed laws is that they will NOT work, because it can ONLY effect organizations within U.S. jurisdiction. They will have little effect on sites overseas that they are so concerned about.

SYRIA - Disturbing Signs Result Tightened Sanctions

"Syria's Alleged Human Rights Violations Push World Leaders to Tighten Sanctions" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 12/15/2011

Excerpt

MARGARET WARNER (Newshour): Defiant Syrians shown in this Internet video gathered today in what were said to be the streets of Dara'a in the south. Their chants of "God is great" were met with gunfire and more casualties.

Syrian army tanks patrolled the streets of the restive city today, where the nine-month-old uprising began. But not far from Dara'a, near the town of Busra al-Harir, army defectors from a group called the Free Syrian Army reportedly ambushed some former comrades. The reports said 27 Syrian army soldiers were killed in a rocket attack on a bus and the subsequent firefight.

It was the latest sign that the state no longer has a monopoly on the violence, as parts of the opposition are increasingly armed and fighting back. But, earlier this week, the United Nations' top human rights official, Navi Pillay, said an estimated 5,000 people have been killed by the government in the crackdown.

She repeated her call for the regime of President Bashar al-Assad to be referred to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. That same judgment, that the Syrian regime is responsible for most of the deaths, came in a Human Rights Watch report issued today. It named Syrian commanders who allegedly ordered troops to shoot demonstrators.

This man defected from the army.

MAN (through translator): They just said, let us go for hunting. When the protesters go to streets, they go to roof of the building, a high building, and they use AK-47 to shoot on the protesters on the street.

MARGARET WARNER: Joe Stork is deputy director of the group's Middle East Division.

JOE STORK, Human Rights Watch: We're identifying here the names of some 74 individual Syrian commanders who are, in one way or another, responsible for the killings, for the torture, for the arbitrary arrests, for the suppression of these pro-democracy protests sort of without any regard for human life, for basic international human rights.

FREDERIC HOF, U.S. State Department: I do not see this regime surviving.

MARGARET WARNER: And the U.S. government is increasingly blunt in its assessment of the Assad government's fate. A top State Department official, Frederic Hof, appeared at a House hearing yesterday.

FREDERIC HOF: Our view is that this regime is the equivalent of dead man walking. But the real question is how many steps remain. I think it is very, very, very difficult to predict or project how much time this regime has.

MARGARET WARNER: For now, the U.S., European Union, Arab League and Turkey have tightened sanctions on Syria. Action by the U.N. Security Council, however, has been stymied by opposition from Russia and China.

"'Disturbing Signs' of Armed Clashes in Syria Suggest Death Toll Will Grow" (Part-2)
PBS Newshour 12/15/2011

AMERICA - Interview, Secretary Clinton

"Secretary Clinton: Democracies Must Have 'Habits of the Heart'"
PBS Newshour 12/14/2011

POLITICS - Proposal to "Make Congress Work"

This is No-Labels "Make Congress Work" plan:

(click to get readable view)


The plan is outstanding, but....

I am pessimistic that this will work because it is not in a politician's interest to do so. Politicians, by their nature, are MOST interested in keeping power and these "ways" just give up their power.

None of the proposed "ways" can to fruition UNLESS the American voter actually forces the issue at to polls.

MILITARY - Our Troops, Leaving Iraq and Dealing With Stress

"As Troops Leave Iraq, What Happens to Military Bases, Equipment?" PBS Newshour 12/14/2011

Excerpt

JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour): The president today welcomed the end of the war in Iraq, with all U.S. troops due to leave before the month is out. He also acknowledged the costs of the long conflict.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: And on behalf of a grateful nation, I'm proud to finally say these two words -- and I know your families agree. Welcome home.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

BARACK OBAMA: Welcome home.

JUDY WOODRUFF: It was a homecoming complete with the commander in chief for the latest detachments of troops arriving back at Fort Bragg, N.C.

President Obama praised the efforts of 1.5 million Americans who've served in Iraq since 2003.

BARACK OBAMA: We're building a new partnership between our nations. And we are ending a war not with a final battle, but with a final march toward home. This is an extraordinary achievement nearly nine years in the making. And, today, we remember everything that you did to make it possible.

JUDY WOODRUFF: That effort came at a high price in blood and treasure. The president said the United States spent more than $1 trillion on the war, although many war critics contend the real figure is far higher.

And there is the human cost of years of fighting, with nearly 4,500 American dead and, the president said, the toll on thousands of military families.

"Army Program Aims to Build Troops' Mental Resilience to Stress" PBS Newshour 12/14/2011

Excerpt

JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour): Even as U.S. troops leave Iraq this month and, in three years, will depart Afghanistan, the psychological wounds of war will last for some time.

The NewsHour's health correspondent, Betty Ann Bowser, reports on a new Army program to help families and soldiers cope and the questions surrounding it.

BETTY ANN BOWSER: Here at Fort Bragg, N.C., the Army has always trained its soldiers to hit the bulls eye. And it's always taught the importance of staying fit. Now the Army is trying to teach its soldiers new skills to fight a war in uncharted territory in the human mind.

AMERICA - New Voter Registration Laws, Pro/Con

"How Will New Voter Registration Laws Affect 2012 Election?" PBS Newshour 12/14/2011

Excerpt

GWEN IFILL (Newshour): Now, the Obama Justice Department weighs in on the debate over new voting laws. We begin with some background.

Millions of potential voters may not be able to cast votes in 2012, after a dozen states put new restrictions in place this year. Six states passed laws that limit early voting. And eight states will now require voters to present state-issued photo identification cards in order to cast a ballot. Previously, only Indiana and Georgia had strict photo I.D. requirements.

The Obama Justice Department is now objecting to the new laws. Attorney General Eric Holder spoke last night in Austin, Texas, at the Presidential Library of Lyndon B. Johnson, who signed the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER: We need election systems that are free from fraud, discrimination, and partisan influence and that are more, not less, accessible to the citizens of this country.

EGYPT - Vote Update, 2nd Round

"In Egypt, Signs of Heavy Turnout as Second Round of Voting Begins"
PBS Newshour 12/14/2011

OPINION - Lieberman's Outstanding Proposal

"A modest proposal to rein in congressional partisanship" by Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (I-CT), The Hill 12/14/2011

Next month, I will visit the House chamber to hear the State of the Union Address as a sitting Senator for the last time. As an American, it has been an honor and privilege to the see the President’s speech in person for the last 23 years. But I have often thought that perhaps it would be useful for Americans, if the President regularly appeared before Congress and responded to our questions.

A new non-partisan group called No Labels— together with thousands of supporters nationwide—is seeking now to provide Congress this opportunity. Under a proposal contained in the No Labels’ “Make Congress Work” campaign, the House and Senate would issue rotating monthly invitations for the President to appear in the respective chamber to answer questions and engage members in discussion. Democrats and Republicans would take turns asking questions for the duration of the 90-minute, televised session. Only one issue would be covered per appearance. The President would be welcome to bring Cabinet members and other high-ranking officials to help to clarify the discussion when needed.

For someone who has spent nearly a quarter-century in the Senate, this sounds like a pretty good deal.

No Labels understands that the President is a President; not a Prime Minister. America doesn’t operate under a parliamentary system. As such, the President is not considered a Party leader in the legislature and has no formal responsibility to report to it on a monthly basis. At the same time, however, we are all familiar with “Question Time” in the British House of Commons and other countries with similar legislative structures – and we are equally familiar with the potential for such events to devolve into partisan screaming matches that do little to advance consensus.

Given the current political mood in Congress, many might wonder why an American version of question time would be any different. How could this plan contribute to the goal of reducing polarization, promoting constructive discussion and breaking the gridlock that has frozen our legislative process?

First, No Labels’ proposal provides for a far more controlled environment. With time limits imposed on responses and strict rules designed to encourage civility, the event would look more like a presidential debate than a town hall. Televising the events would further assist in establishing the proper sense of decorum. As we have seen throughout American history, and again in recent years, vitriolic outbursts and insults launched on the floor ultimately harm those who hurl them far more than the targets.

Second, No Labels’ proposal would nurture results by infusing transparency and accountability into the governing process. Right now, we place more emphasis on campaigning than governing. As a result, the American people focus more on what candidates promise to do next year and less on what those holding public office need to do next week. What we are left with is a framework that makes the people’s voice too easy to ignore. No Labels’ plan would help correct that imbalance by offering the public a real-time look at how their elected leaders plan to address urgent national priorities.

Finally, the very act of coming together in such a way would send a message to the vast majority of moderates – both here in the U.S. and indeed throughout the world – that our country takes the dangers of hyper-partisanship seriously and is willing to take steps to that will foster compromise.

Creating the time and space for regular, constructive discussions between Congress and the President is a small step. However, in the face of a pervasive culture of ideology that is crippling our government, even a modest step in the right direction could have a significant impact.

I hope that my colleagues will join me in supporting this proposal.

What an OUTSTANDING idea! At least for the American people.

OPINION - Tax Credits = Jobs?

"Tax credits to stimulate the economy?" by Armstrong Williams, The Hill 12/13/2011

The ill-conceived idea to stimulate the economy through a tax credit for firms that increase employment shows an academic economist’s fundamental lack of understanding of why companies increase employment.

Jobs are a byproduct of increased sales and revenues. Companies do not like to hire employees. They are expensive, require management and cannot be easily laid off in the event of incompetence or loss of business.

Companies increase employment because they have additional business that needs to be processed, and they cannot process it through overtime or increased capital.

No businessman in his right mind would hire someone merely because labor is 10 percent cheaper because of tax credits. He would only increase employment if that is his only alternative to process additional business. If he has additional business, then he will hire additional employees regardless of the 10 percent credit.

Therefore, the credit is an inefficient way to increase employment and a waste of taxpayer money.

COMMENT: While I believe Armstrong's post is accurate, his title does not quite fit the context. IMHO the correct title would be, "Tax credits to stimulate the job market?"

OPINION - End of Iraq War

"The end to a long and needless war" by Bill Press, The Hill 12/14/2011

History was made at the White House on Monday, Dec. 12.

Standing side by side in the South Court Auditorium of the Old Executive Office Building, President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki proclaimed the end of the war in Iraq.

Only 6,000 American combat troops remain in Iraq, down from a peak of 170,000. Those remaining 6,000 will be out before Dec. 31. And the long, bloody, unnecessary war will be over at last.

Over a million American soldiers served in Iraq over the last eight years. Some 4,500 of them never came home. And the war cost American taxpayers over $1 trillion.

President Obama insisted that our troops can come back from Iraq “with their heads held high” for a job well done. Indeed, they can. But we citizens can still ask the all-important question: Was it worth it?

Absolutely not. Iraq had nothing to do with Sept. 11. Iraq harbored no al Qaeda terrorists. And Iraq was not a threat to the United States. There were no nukes, no weapons of mass destruction.

The war in Iraq was George Bush’s war of choice. It was a dumb war. An unnecessary war. An unjust, and maybe illegal, war. Thank God it’s over. But we never should have invaded Iraq in the first place.

Amen

POLITICS - Again, Republican Poison-Pill Tactics

"Obama, Senate Democrats Balk at House GOP's Version of Payroll Tax Extension" PBS Newshour 12/13/2011

Excerpt

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour): A Republican bill to preserve a politically charged tax cut went before the U.S. House today. But the move sparked an immediate warning from the White House.

It was the latest act in the building drama over a payroll tax cut extension for 160 million Americans. Republicans pushed a bill to keep the tax cut for another year. It would also extend long-term jobless benefits again, while gradually winding down the maximum time period from 99 to 59 weeks.

But they also attached a separate provision which would force federal approval of the hotly debated Keystone oil pipeline to run from Canada to Texas.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor argued that's about creating jobs.

COMMENT: BS! Attaching the Keystone oil pipeline to this bill is ludicrous. The pipeline IS, and should be, a separate issue.

I really wish our Constitution did NOT allow riders on Senate or House bills, unfortunately is does not. IMHO a bill should be required to state a purpose then ALL the text of the bill should specifically and ONLY address the stated purpose.

ECONOMY - Corzine on Missing MF Global Money, Down the Rabbit Hole With Alice

"Corzine Testifies Before Former Senate Colleagues on Missing MF Global Funds" PBS Newshour 12/13/2011

Excerpt

JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour): Former MF Global CEO Jon Corzine was back at the U.S. Capitol today for the second time in two weeks, this time facing a committee of former Senate colleagues.

Their question was a simple one.

SEN. DEBBIE STABENOW, D-Mich.: Where's the money? I mean, how do you answer that? Where is the money from funds that were supposed to be kept separate, customer money?

JUDY WOODRUFF: That money, $1.2 billion worth, vanished when MF Global filed for federal bankruptcy protection in October.

But Corzine insisted again he doesn't know where the funds went.

RUSSIA - Political Score = Putin 0, Russian Middle Class 5

"As Protests Spread, Putin Faces Potential Competition for Presidency" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 12/13/2011

Excerpt

MARGARET WARNER (Newshour): It was a scene without precedent since Putin came to power in Russia 12 years ago, tens of thousands of people demonstrating Saturday in Moscow and other cities.

WOMAN: People want fair elections. People feel that their vote was stolen.

MARGARET WARNER: The crowds accused Putin's United Russia party of fraud in the parliamentary elections held Dec. 4, and demanded they be recounted or rerun.

They expressed growing anger over corruption and one-party dominance of the Russian government. The protesters' unhappiness was galvanized last September when Prime Minister Putin announced he would run for a third term as president next year, switching jobs yet again with the current president, Dmitry Medvedev.

In response, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin resigned and criticism swelled on Russian Internet sites. Then, last month, Putin was booed by spectators at a martial arts event in Moscow, a rare display of public disapproval captured on this amateur video.

On election day, United Russia eked out a bare majority, losing 20 percent of its seats in the old parliament. And the accusations of fraud came quickly. This video posted on YouTube purported to show ballots that had been filled out ahead of the actual voting.

Anger boiled into the streets last week, with several protests that brought a heavy show of force by police and large numbers of arrests. Among those detained were opposition leader Boris Nemtsov and activist blogger Alexei Navalny.

After international criticism, the government allowed last Saturday's protest to proceed without incident. On Sunday, President Medvedev went on Facebook to promise an investigation. But he didn't endorse the protesters' complaints.

Monday, in Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed the announcement and said Medvedev has to act.

SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: The proof is in the pudding. We will wait and see how they conduct such an investigation, what the consequences are. So, we're -- we're supportive of the announcement of investigations, and now we hope that it will be followed through on.

MARGARET WARNER: Today, though, Medvedev met with leaders of the four parties that won seats and said the new parliament will meet Dec. 21, despite the claims of fraud.

DMITRY MEDVEDEV, Russian president: In the cases where the rights have been really violated, a fair decision should be made. But the State Duma must begin work. Parliament members always have a lot to do.

MARGARET WARNER: In the meantime, Putin now faces the prospect of new competition in the upcoming presidential election in early March.

Billionaire tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov, who owns the NBA's New Jersey Nets, entered the race yesterday. And the anti-Putin protesters say they are not done. Organizers are calling for another round of mass demonstrations on Christmas Eve.

"In Wake of Disputed Election, Russian Middle Class 'Finding its Voice'" (Part-2)
PBS Newshour 12/13/2011

EDUCATION - News Literacy Classes

"News Literacy Project Trains Young People to Be Skeptical Media Consumers" PBS Newshour 12/13/2011

Excerpt

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour): Now, information is coming at young people from everywhere these days, but where to look and what to believe?

COLIN O'BRIEN, News Literacy Project: You want news sources that are transparent. You want to be able to see who is doing the reporting, see what their agenda is, see who funds them, see if they are, in fact, a credible source or not.

JEFFREY BROWN: How can young people learn to be better consumers of news and information?

A recent class at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland, is trying to do just that: helping students distinguish news from opinion, fact from fiction, amid the daily onslaught of TV, radio, newspapers, and social media.

Social studies teacher Colin O'Brien began with a real-life example, a fast-moving email, in fact, a hoax, claiming that all schools in Great Britain had removed study of the Holocaust from their curriculum because the Muslim population claimed it never occurred.

COLIN O'BRIEN: Raise your hand if you thought this was true, because your teacher gave it to you and it was an email, so it must have been true.

JEFFREY BROWN: How did the hoax become accepted as fact? O'Brien had his students do a very common Google search, entering the terms Holocaust, denial and England.

Voila. He came up with an article in the British tabloid newspaper The Daily Mail.

STUDENT: Schools are dropping the Holocaust from history lessons to avoid offending Muslim peoples, a government-backed study has revealed.

COLIN O'BRIEN: Did the email provide documentation?

STUDENT: No.

COLIN O'BRIEN: No.

JEFFREY BROWN: The lesson is part of an effort called the News Literacy Project, a four-year-old program now taught to middle and high school students in 21 inner-city and suburban schools in the Washington, D.C., area, New York City, and Chicago.

It was started by former Los Angeles Times investigative reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner Alan Miller.

More excerpts

ALAN MILLER, News Literacy Project: A century ago, Mark Twain said that a lie can get halfway around the world while truth is still putting on its shoes. In this hyperlinked information age, a lie can get all the way around the world and back while truth is still getting out of bed.
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JEFFREY BROWN: In fact, the idea of making this into a national program got a recent boost from Michael Copps, a member of the Federal Communications Commission.

MICHAEL COPPS, FCC: And we need to focus on bringing all these together in the public sector and in the private sector to develop an online news literacy curriculum that can be made available across the nation. This can be a powerful antidote to the dumbing down of our civic dialogue that has taken place.

Now all we need is to make adults news literate skeptics.