THE FLASHLIGHT, December 13-19, 2008

THE FLASHLIGHT
December 13-19, 2008
No Peace without Justice, no Justice without the Facts
Mary K. Matossian, Editor , 9-M

US Politics

Pres. Elect Obama’s nominations for the highest posts in his administration were almost completed this week.
NYT 12-13, Sec. of Housing and Urban Development: Shaun Donovan, now NYCity Housing Commissioner.
WPost 12-15. Sec. of Education: Arne Duncan, 44, chief of the Chicago school system. He is a Harvard grad.
Sec. of Agriculture: Tom Wilsack, former governor of Iowa.
NYTimes 12-17. Sec. of the Interior: Ken Salazar. This is a department riddled with incompetence and corruption. It is responsible for national parks, open spaces, and animal species.
NYTimes 12-18. Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission: Mary Schapiro, veteran regulator of the Clinton Administration.
Sec. of Transportation: Rep. Ray Lahood, (R. Ill.), a moderate Republican.
NYTimes 12-19. Trade Representative: Ron Kirk, former mayor of Dallas.
Director of National Intelligence: expected to nominate Dennis Blair, a retired admiral.
Science Advisor: John Holdren, Harvard physics professor, a strong proponent for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Director of the NOAA [National Oceanic, and Atmospheric Administration], which supervises climate research: Jane Lubchenoo, marine biologists, Oregan State University.

AP 12-19. For the first time, Al Franken had a lead in the unfinished recount of the Minnesota Senate Race.

US Economy

NYTimes 12-13. Financier Bernard Madoff was arrested in connection with a $50 billion loss to his investors resulting from a hidden Ponzi scheme. [Earlier investors are paid off by later investors]. Jewish families in New York and Florida were the principal victims. Despite credible warnings, the Securities and Exchange Commission did nothing.

NYTimes 12-19. Pres. Bush offered a $17.4 bridge loan to General Motors and Chrysler, returnable if the companies fail to show viability by March 31, 2009.

Israel / Palestine

AP 12-14. Israel released 224 Palestinian prisoners as a gesture of support for Pres. Abbas of the West Bank.

THE FLASHLIGHT, December 6-12, 2008

THE FLASHLIGHT
No Peace without Justice, no Justice without the Facts
December 6-12, 2008
Mary K. Matossian, Editor, 9-M

US Economy

NYTimes 12-6. The US lost 533,000 jobs in November, the worst monthly loss since December, 1974.
Some 300,000 people applied for the 3,300 jobs in the incoming Obama Administration.
NY 12-7. Obama promised the largest public works program since the superhighway program a half century ago. He promised to reduce energy use and the gas emissions causing global warming. CBS 60 Minutes. He also promised to elevate science in his administration and to schedule scientific lectures for the nation. He hopes to create 2.5 million jobs by 2011.

NYTimes 12-12. A $14 billion bill to bait out the auto industry failed to come up for consideration when a Republican minority voted against it (52 to 35). The Republicans wanted to make steep cuts in the pay and benefits, bringing them down to the levels now in effect among non-union workers in the US, paid by Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. [Many of the US plants of these Japanese manufacturers are located in Republican controlled states in the South. A bankruptcy judge could reduce wages in American car companies and eliminate their legacy costs.]
Bloomberg 12-12. Global stocks and the dollar fell sharply.

US Politics

NYTimes 12-7. Obama picked Gen. Eric Shinseki, a Japanese American, as Secretary for Veterans Affairs. This appointment served to correct the wrong done to the General by the Bush Administration when he argued for more troops to be used in the invasion of Iraq.

PBS 12-9. After a five-year investigation of corruption in Illinois politics, the FBI accused Governor Governor Rod Blagojevich of trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama, in addition to many other political payoffs. The Illinois legislature met to consider legislation to hold a special election to select the Senate replacement.

NYTimes 12-11. As Secretary of Energy, Obama picked Dr. Stephen Chu, a Nobel winning physicist, currently Director of the Lawrence National Laboratory in Berkeley. He js expected to make drastic reductions in global warming gas emissions, and to build a more efficient national energy system.

Pakistan / India

` NYTimes 12-8. Pakistan has established that there have been tiies between its Inter-Services Intelligence organization and the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba [Army of the Pure].

Bloomberg 12-10. The Zardari Government arrested two operations leaders of Lashkar. They are expected to be tried in Pakistan.

Greece

PBS 12-9. Young men rioted in Greece for three days against the Conservative government of Kostas Karamanlis. They demanded an immediate election. Unemployment in Greece is high. 12-11. The protesters attacked police stations.

World Health

PBS 12-9. An increase in smoking in China, Japan, and Russia has caused an increase in cancer. It will be the number one killer by 2010.





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THE FLASHLIGHT, November 28 - December 5, 2008

THE FLASHLIGHT
November 29 – December 5, 2008
No Peace without Justice, No Justice without the Facts

US Economy

CNN 12-1. When the government announced that the present recession began in December 2007, the Dow Jones declined by 680 points.
NYTimes 12-3. The three Detroit automakers asked for $34 billion in loans, and promised to cut jobs, factories, brands, and executive pay. They seek to restructure their operations outside bankruptcy. Sales are at their lowest level in 25 to 30 years.

NYTimes 12-3. Between 1982 and 2007, tuition and fees in college increased 439%, while median family income increased only 147%.

NY Review of Books, 12-18. Paul Krugman, “What To Do,” pp. 8-10.
The most urgent issue in the global economy is to thaw out credit, which is frozen. Then the US must stimulate the economy by an injection of 4% of GDP, as compared with 1% planned now.

US Politics

NYT 12-1. Obama announced the nomination of Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State; Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense; and Susan Rice, UN Ambassador.
CNN 12-2. Saxby Chandliss was reelected as Senator from Georgia.

India

CNN 11-28. It appears that the terrorists in Mumbai have combat experience, because they don’t run under fire. They killed an ultra-orthodox Jewish rabbi and his family, suggesting that they are Muslim
``````` militants. They attacked at least nine sites. PBS 12-1. The organization that trained the militants, according to one who was taken alive, was Laskar e Taiba, in Pakistan. Over 180 people died.
The terrorist came to India by sea. Muslims indigenous to India were not involved. P)BS 12-3. After the attacks, there were demonstrations in India against the political leadership of India and against Pakistan. Since the militants targeted American, British and Israeli citizens, an international investigation has begun.

````` Israel

BBC 12-4. The Israel police soldiers expelled illegal Jewish settlers from a house in Hebron, a Palestinian town on the West Bank. The settlers resisted vigorously. The violence continued Thursday evening.
Israel also opened crossings into Gaza so that food relief could be delivered.
NYTimes 12-5 and Haaretz 12-5. Israel’s Supreme Court ruled 3 to 0 against the Hebron right-wing Jewish settlers.
Young settlers rampaged through Palestinian fields and neighborhoods, attacking Palestinians and setting their homes, fields and olive trees on fire.
The settlers and their backers oppose the construction of a Palestinian state. The Israel Army is on the alert throughout the West Bank. The US State Department has told diplomats and citizens not to visit Jerusalem.

Lebanon

BBC 12-3. The economy of Lebanon is now booming because Lebanese banks did not make the same errors as those of larger states. They did not buy bundled assets carrying subprime mortgage money. They withdrew from international activity. They kept large stores of cash and limited debts. These conservative policies have paid off,.

Health

ABC News, Reuters 11-30. According to experiments on mice and rats, a newly discovered hormone found in the human body, called NAPE for short, blocks hunger and stops weight gain, according to Cell 10-26. It has no harmful side effects. This was the work of Gerald Shulman of Yale University.

PBS 11-30. Program “Brain, Sight, and Sound”. To maintain a bodily function one must use it. Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to improve its structure and functioning. Seeing and hearing are not just functions of the eyes and ears but of the brain as well.
The scientists in this presentation urged seniors to take on challenging learning tasks. Decline in mind, sight, and hearing should not be accepted as inevitable in most cases.

Baltimore Sun 12-2. Nearly half of college age adults (18-25) are struggling with mental health disorders: including alcohol dependency, depression, and anxiety, but only 25% seek treatment. The rates of dysfunction are the same for college students and
non-college students.
PBS 12-2. We can renew or skeletal frame with correct exercise combined with timely rest. Exercise is a strong medicine; it turns on the genes. People who are overweight are at a disadvantage, and loss of surplus weight helps the knees.

Science

NYTimes 12-3. a new book by Seth Shulman, Undermining Science; Suppression and Distortion in the Bush Administration. University of California Press, 2008, shows how the government has repeatedly and systematically tried to suit scientific report to its ideological preferences of how the world should be, not how it is.
The author explains that the scientific facts and equation taught in schools are mere consequences of scientific inquiry. Science is above all an attitude, or a stance, of measuring, evaluating, and describing the world. It is based on skepticism, investigation, and evidence. Scientists often argue over data, but that is different from suppressing, changing, and ignoring the facts.

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THE FLASHLIGNT, November 22-28, 2008

THE FLASHLIGHT
November 22-28, 2008
No Peace without Justice, no Justice without the Facts
Mary K. Matossian, Editor
mary@matossian.net, Apt. 9-M

US Politics

NyTimes 11-21, 11-26. Obama appointed a number of highly talented individuals to top posts: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner; Bill Richardson, Commerce Secretary; retired Marine general Jim Jones as National Security Advisor, former Harvard president Larry Summers as Senior Presidential economic advisor; Robert Gates to continue as Defense Secretary, Paul Volcker as head of the Economic Advisory Committee.

Associated Press 11-21. The Obamas decide to send their two daughters, aged seven and ten, to Sidwell Friends School [Quaker] (which Chelsea Clinton also attended). The elementary school campus is in Bethesda, Maryland; the secondary school is in Northwest Washington.

US Economy

CNN 11-21. Congress demanded that the auto industry submit a detailed business plan by 12-2 before responding to its pleas for a bridge loan.
` There is no area of the economy that is safe now from layoffs.
The market may go down even lower. Gold is up 5-6%. Oil is down to $50 a barrel, one third of its July high, and Suzy Orman says it is a good buy at this price.

NYT, PBS 11-24. The US Treasury approved investment of $20 billion to Citigroup Bank. It was said to be too big to fail, with branches in 109 countries. The government could make money on the deal.

PBS 11-25. House prices are falling and will fall further. It was reported that Obama will cut subsidies to affluent farmers.
China and the oil rich states are no longer able to buy the US debt. We are facing a potential three trillion dollar deficit next year. The rich are going be required to pay higher taxes.

War Resistors League, 2008. In a fact sheet distributed by the Society of Friends [Quakers] “Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes” it was shown that contrary to US government claims, 51% tax money is going to current and past [veterans] military expenditures. The government has been claiming that only 21% is military. But this has been based on deception.
According to this deception, (1) spending to pay for past wars is treated as non-military and money from trust funds [e.g. Social Security] is added to income tax dollars. If spending to pay for past wars is added to current military spending, and trust fund money is subtracted from current revenue from income taxes, then total military spending = 51% of the budget.
[So far no prominent American politician has suggested that military spending be cut,]

India

NYT 11-27 and 28. In Mumbai [formerly Bombay], India’s financial center, terrorists of unknown origin attacked luxury hotels, a theater, a hospital et al. with rifles and hand grenades At least 127 persons were killed, 327 wounded. Americans, English, other Europeans, and Israelis were singled out for murder. The terrorist killed the head of counter-terrorism in Mumbai and his two chief assistants. An international investigation began.

Iraq

NYT 11-28. The Iraqi Parliament, by a vote of 149 to 35, approved a security agreement that provided that all US troops leave the country by the end of 2011.

THE FLASHLIGHT, November 15-21, 2008

THE FLASHLIGHT
November 15-21, 2008
No Peace without Justice, no Justice without the Facts
Mary K. Matossian, Editor
mary@matossian.net, Apt. 9-M

US Economy

PBS 11-14. The US Treasury is no longer buying the bad assets of banks.

NYTimes 11-15. The computer industry is beginning to feel the bite of the economic downturn. Intel, Nokia, and Cisco warned of slowing sales. In the second week of November Google stock fell belong 300. Some companies which still had large cash reserves were Cisco ($27 billion), Apple ($24 billion) and Google ($14 billion). These three companies may use their reserves to acquire struggling competitors.

NYTimes 11-17. Citigroup’s stock is down 75%. It has discharged c. 52.000 employees.
NY Times 11-19. US auto manufacturing chiefs failed to convince Congress that it should provide a bridge loan for their companies of $25 billion.
PBS 11-20. The Dow Jones fell to 7552, lower than the predicted market bottom of 7789. The viability of Citibank is in doubt.

US Politics

The Economist. 11-15, [a British based conservative journal] Editorial. The U.S. Republican Party has lost its intellectual respectability and become a party of “white trash pride.” For several decades Republican leaders have believed that ideas have consequences. But idiocy also has consequences.

The New York Times 11-15. Sarah Palin promotes “the sad, threadbare hoax of sexual abstinence as the answer to the sizzling loins of the young.”

MSNBC 11-14 and Amazon.com. New book, The Limits of Power; The End of American Exceptionalism. By Col. Andrew Basevich. “War is not the answer to the challenges we face…and to persist in following that path is to invite inevitable overextension, bankruptcy, and ruin.” He says that the proper response to terrorism is police action on a global scale, not military action.

CNN 11-18. Eric Holder, an African-American lawyer close to Obama, will be nominated the next Attorney General. PBS 11-19. Tom Daschle, former Democratic Senate leader, will be Secretary of Health and Human Services. Greg Craig will be the President’s Counsel [lawyer]. Jane Napolitano, Governor of Arizona, skilled in handling immigration issues, will be Secretary of Homeland Security. Sen. Hilary Clinton is being considered for Secretary of State.

Israel

New York Review of Books, 12-4. On Sept. 21 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said to the Knesset: “We must seek an agreement with the Palestinians, meaning withdrawal from nearly all, if not all, of the occupied territories, including Jerusalem.”

Haaretz 11-20. In Hebron, West Bank, there are 650 Jewish settlers guarded by Israel troops living in the heart of a town of 180,000 Palestinians. Recently there have been clashes between Jewish settler activists and the Israel security forces. On Sunday the High Court of Israel ordered the settlers to evacuate a house after it was determined that they had forged ownership documents. The settlers refused. They threw stones at their Palestinian neighbors and spread graffiti on a mosque and Palestinian homes

THE FLASHLIGHT, November 8-14, 2008

THE FLASHLIGHT
No Peace without Justice, no Justice without the Facts
November 8-14, 2008
Mary K. Matossian, Editor
mary@matossian.net, Apt. 9-M

US Politics

CNN 11-7. Obama received 53% of the popular vote.
Senator Byrd, 90, will give up his chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee.

CBS 11-9. 60 Minutes. The Obama Campaign. From the beginning Obama was clear as to what he wanted to say and do. He wanted a grassroots, idealistic approach. The organization was designed to be agile and to take risks. A record $600 million dollars was raised. There was no infighting, no turnover, and there were almost no leaks. The atmosphere was like that of a loving family. David Axelrod will go to the White House as Senior Advisor to Obama. Robert Gibbs will go as Press Secretary.

NY Times 11-11. The 2008 Election ended the centrality of the South in US national politics. The suburban south, in Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida, went for Obama. It has had an influx of better educated and more prosperous voters. The core of “red” voters, who are poor, uneducated, and white, is in the Appalachian and Ozark Mountains. The men are focused on hunting and military life.

Reuters 11-13. Sen. Ted Stevens now trails his democratic opponent, Mayor Mark Begich of Anchorage, Alaska.

US Economy

PBS 11-12. The federal government is turning to help the US auto industry, student loan sources, and credit card companies.

NY Times 11-13. Quotation of the Day. “People are grieving. There was death. Their money died.” Semi-retired psychotherapist Debray Beach, Florida

THE FLASHLIGHT, November 1-7, 2008

THE FLASHLIGHT
No Peace without Justice, no Justice without the Facts
November 1-7, 2008
Mary K. Matossian, Editor
mary@matossian.net, Apt. 9-M

US Politics: The Election

PBS 11-1. Mark Shields: Every political campaign organization is a mirror of the personality of the candidate.
CNN 11-3. Madeline Dunham, 86, maternal grandmother of Barack Obama, died of cancer. She played a large role in raising him.
CNN 11-4. Shortly after 8:00 p.m. PST, when Ohio was declared for Obama, CNN declared him the national winner. A crowd of about 200,000 gathered in Grant Park, Chicago to hear his victory speech, He said to those who did not vote for him, “I will be your President too.” He said that his daughters would now get their promised puppy. His speech was intended to quiet, not excite people. Nevertheless the crowd cheered wildly.
11-6.With votes in Missouri close and not fully tallied, he won by 364 to 162 electoral votes. He won the suburban vote, the youth vote, the Latino vote, and (by 97%) the African-American vote. He won 43% of whites. He won 78% of Jewish voters. McCain carried only evangelical Christians and those over 65 years. Citizens of all but three countries abroad favored him.
11-5, 11-6. According to Wolf Blitzer, “The Republicans have a severe case of the blues.
The Democrats had 57 Senators including Bernie Sanders (Socialist) in Vermont and Joe Lieberman (Independent) in Connecticut. As a result of close races, the Senate seats in Minnesota and Georgia were undecided. If Sen. Ted Stevens (R) of Alaska is elected, he is likely to be removed by the Senate. Then the Republican governor of Alaska would appoint a Republican in his place. The only hope of a filibuster-proof majority of 60 would be if Stevens were defeated by a Democrat. The Democrats increased their membership in the House by 17 seats, with some contests still undecided.

NYTimes 11-5. In an analysis of Obama’s campaign organization, the Times praised its discipline and cohesiveness. It said that the campaign made only a few stumbles. David Axelrod, the chief strategist, and David Plouffe, a meticulous campaign manager, excelled. There was no drama or staff shakeup. Obama was a good debater with an eloquent message. He raised nearly a half a billion dollars. In the long primary contest with Hilary Clinton, Obama came through looking presidential in spite of his relative lack of experience.
As for the race factor, Stuart Stevens (R) of Miss. said, “If the house is on fire, the owner does not care what color the fireman is.”
Obama has appointed Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff. Emanuel has White House experience and is a keen-minded strategist.
People of color world wide were overjoyed. At Obama’s victory speech, the Rev.. Jesse Jackson cried, as did thousands of others. Gen. Colin Powell said that he and his whole family cried. Oprah Winfrey was exuberant. There was a national holiday in Kenya, and Barack Obama’s paternal grandmother, 86, danced.

US Economy

CNN 10-31. The stock market went down 15% in October.
11-3. Compared to October, 2007, General Motors sales declined 45%, Ford, 30%. PBS 11-7. October retail sales were the worst in 40 years. NYT 11-7. The unemployment rate in October = 6.5%

Israel

The Economist, 11-1. An editorial urged Israel to fulfill its promise to evacuate most of its settlements in the West Bank and to stop all illegal settlement building. P. 18: “The [new U.S.] President will take office before Israelis go to the polls. . It is not his job to tell Israelis who to vote for, but Israelis like their prime ministers to be persona grata in Washington.. So the new president should make an early statement of tough intent that includes a demand for Israel to fulfill its promises to stop expanding settlements and dismantle the outposts deep within the West Bank.”