Keepingitreal

It’s the Age of a Child Who Grows From a Man

EXCERPT FROM NYTIMES -- “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which occupies around 25 pages in the collected works of F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a slender piece of whimsy, a charming fantasy about a man who ages in reverse, descending through the years from newborn senescence to terminal infancy. As Fitzgerald unravels it, Benjamin’s story serves as the pretext for some amusing, fairly superficial observations about child rearing, undergraduate behavior and courtship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. From this odd, somewhat unpromising kernel, the director David Fincher and the screenwriter Eric Roth have cultivated a lush, romantic hothouse bloom, a film that shares only a title and a basic premise with its literary source. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” more than two and a half hours long, sighs with longing and simmers with intrigue while investigating the philosophical conundrums and emotional paradoxes of its protagonist’s condition in a spirit that owes more to Jorge Luis Borges than to Fitzgerald. While the film’s plot progresses, with a few divagations, in a straight line through the decades of Benjamin Button’s life, the backward vector of that biography turns this “Curious Case” into a genuine mystery. And the puzzles it invites us to contemplate — in consistently interesting, if not always dramatically satisfying ways — are deep and imposing, concerning the passage of time, the elusiveness of experience and the Janus-faced nature of love. Above all, though, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a triumph of technique. Building on the advances of pioneers like Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson and Robert Zemeckis — and on his own previous work adapting newfangled means to traditional cinematic ends — Mr. Fincher (“Fight Club,” “Zodiac”) has added a dimension of delicacy and grace to digital filmmaking. While it stands on the shoulders of breakthroughs like “Minority Report,” “The Lord of the Rings” and “Forrest Gump” (for which Mr. Roth wrote the screenplay), “Benjamin Button” may be the most dazzling such hybrid yet, precisely because it is the subtlest. While he does treat the audience to a few grand, special-effect showpieces, Mr. Fincher concentrates his ingenuity on the setting and the characters, in particular — and most arrestingly — on the faces of his stars, Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt. Ms. Blanchett is Daisy, a dancer, bohemian and all-around free spirit who ages gracefully, before our eyes, into a stately modern matron and then into a wasted, breathless old woman. Mr. Pitt, for the most part, plays Benjamin, who is born, looking like a man in his 70s, into a prominent New Orleans family in 1918. I say for the most part because near the end of the movie Mr. Pitt is replaced by younger and younger children and also because, at the beginning, he is evoked by an uncanny computer-generated confection that seems to have been distilled from his essence. This creature, tiny and wizened, is at once boy and man, but in every scene the ratio is readjusted, until the strapping figure of a familiar movie star emerges, gradually and all but imperceptibly.CONTINUE READING...

Today's Papers: Obama: Nothing To See Here

The New York Times leads with a look at the preparations underway in Afghanistan to arm local militias to help in the fight against the Taliban. The first batch of these armed groups would be deployed early next year in one province and could soon expand to other areas if it's successful. Commanders are, of course, trying to export a tactic that has been successful in Iraq but many Afghans and Western officials are wary of the idea and say it could create more problems than it solves. The Washington Post leads with new figures that show how the housing market has been weakening at a faster pace than analysts were expecting. There's now a widespread fear among economists "that the housing downturn has entered a new phase, fired by a recession it helped create," notes the WP. The Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with the report released by President-elect Barack Obama's transition team that concluded no one acting on Obama's behalf was involved in any talks with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich about possible deals in exchange for appointing someone to fill the state's open Senate seat. Federal prosecutors interviewed Obama, his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, and close adviser Valerie Jarrett last week. USA Today leads with the bad weather that has hit much of the Untied States and will complicate travel plans for thousands who are trying to drive or fly somewhere for Christmas. Today "is going to be an absolute nightmare, both in the air and on the ground," a meteorologist tells the paper. The sliver of good news for travelers is that the weather should improve this weekend so the return trip promises to be less painful. To continue reading, click here.

Singing That Sweet Soul Music, Keeping the Fangs Hidden

EXCERPT FROM NYTIMES -- By JON CARAMANICA When the 2009 Grammy nominations were announced this month, a poised, wise young singer with an album, “Fearless,” that offered strategies on how to survive breakups with feckless boys was one of the success stories, with five nominations.To the surprise of many, that singer was not the country star Taylor Swift, who through a combination of poor album-release timing and voter oversight received no nominations at all. Instead it was Jazmine Sullivan, a relatively unheralded R&B singer from Philadelphia, who shares an album title with Ms. Swift, as well as a penchant for carving up exes in song.But Ms. Sullivan, hyperaware and sometimes vicious, has seen some things Ms. Swift, sweet and wistful, has not. She’s not all rough edges, though. At S.O.B.’s on Monday night she kept her fangs largely hidden, instead giving herself over to the often gorgeous vintage soul that dominates her debut album.Ms. Sullivan has formidable melodic instincts and writes compact, evocative songs. As a vocalist, though, she’s capable but indistinct, at times struggling to color in her very sturdy outlines; in the mid-1960s, when her main influences were last in fashion, she might have been the third-best singer in a second-tier girl group. The bigger the note, the raspier and thinner she sounds.Here that flimsiness persistently held her back, leaving her performance just short of potent. The songs at the beginning of her set — the vindictive “Bust Your Windows,” the anguished “Lions, Tigers & Bears” — were animated but not quite crisp. During the soft breakdown toward the end of “One Night Stand,” one of the album’s vocal high points, Ms. Sullivan got overpowered by her band, which was playing a firm Motown strut.Though she performed most of her album, Ms. Sullivan notably, and unfortunately, skipped its emotional poles — the domestic-abuse tale “Call Me Guilty” and the lighthearted “Switch!” — opting instead for the unmemorable “Dream Big” and “After the Hurricane.”Bursting out of a tight white tuxedo shirt underneath a black overall dress and sporting a fingerless black glove on her right hand, she was a combination of tender and tough; at times she sang while clutching a white towel, which she used to wipe her forehead between songs as a prizefighter would between rounds. Ms. Sullivan’s “Fearless” (J Records) was the best R&B debut of the past year, but it had little competition. (This year she opened a string of dates for Maxwell, who was in the audience here.) Her startling showing in the Grammy nominations more reflects a lack of turnover in R&B, particularly among women. Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige and Alicia Keys have reigned in near-oligarchic fashion for the last several years, collectively winning the Grammy for best female R&B vocal performance (one of the five categories in which Ms. Sullivan is nominated) every year since 2002, except for a rude interruption by Mariah Carey in 2006. Other singers have lately made plays to join that pantheon. Ashanti, Fantasia, Jill Scott, Amerie and Angie Stone have all been nominated in recent years, and they have all lost. This year Ms. Sullivan’s competition includes Beyoncé and Ms. Keys, as well as Jennifer Hudson and Keyshia Cole.Certainly Ms. Sullivan would like to be a contender, and on “In Love With Another Man” she truly sounded like one. It’s a wrenching, unadorned ballad about trading stability for risk, and as she moved through the lyric, singing with admirable intensity, she slid more and more off the beat until it wasn’t clear if she could hear the music at all. When unraveled, she sounded totally certain. SOURCE:NYTIMES.COM

Brown asks state high court to overturn Prop. 8

State Attorney General Jerry Brown, in a surprise turnabout, asked the California Supreme Court on Friday to overturn Proposition 8, saying the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage violates basic rights guaranteed in the state Constitution.Brown, who is required to defend state laws unless he cannot find reasonable legal grounds to do so, said after Prop. 8 passed Nov. 4 that he would support the initiative before the state's high court.But in a lengthy filing late Friday, he argued that the constitutional amendment was "inconsistent with the guarantees of individual liberty" in California's governing charter."Proposition 8 must be invalidated because the amendment process cannot be used to extinguish fundamental constitutional rights without compelling justification," Brown said.The authors of the state Constitution, he said, did not intend "to put a group's right to enjoy liberty to a popular vote."Hours earlier, sponsors of Prop. 8 filed arguments asking the court to uphold the ballot measure, which passed with a 52 percent majority. Andrew Pugno, attorney for the Yes on 8 campaign, said he was disappointed by Brown's stance."It's unfortunate that the attorney general would not do his duty to defend the will of the voters," Pugno said.The position of the attorney general, the state's top lawyer, ordinarily carries considerable weight with the court. Brown's office was on the losing side, however, when the court overturned California's previous ban on same-sex marriage in May.Asked about his change of position, Brown said Friday evening that since his initial comments the day after the election, he and senior lawyers in his office had looked closely at the court's precedents and at the recent marriage ruling and concluded they couldn't defend Prop. 8."We have a conflict between the amendment power (through voter initiatives) and the duty of the Supreme Court to protect minorities and safeguard liberty," Brown said.Fundamental rights in the state Constitution, including the right to marry that the state's high court has recognized, "become a dead letter if they can just be amended" by popular vote, Brown said.The Yes on 8 forces' brief was filed by Kenneth Starr, the former Whitewater special prosecutor and now dean of Pepperdine University law school. He argued that the court should preserve the people's lawmaking powers by upholding the initiative and invalidating 18,000 same-sex weddings performed before the election. SOURCE:SFGATE.COM

Today's Papers: Europe Changes Tune on Guantanamo Detainees

The Washington Post leads with word that at least half a dozen European countries are currently discussing whether they should accept detainees from Guantamo who cannot be returned to their home countries due to fears that they could be tortured. These discussions mark quite a change in attitude for European governments that had previously rejected several requests from the Bush administration to accept the detainees. The Los Angeles Times leads with word that President-elect Barack Obama's team is receiving lots of new information about Afghanistan from Pentagon and national security officials as part of an effort to get the new administration to act quickly once it gets into office. The New York Times leads with, and the Wall Street Journal and LAT front, news that Toyota will post its first operating loss in seven decades, illustrating how the slump in auto sales is being felt around the world and is hitting even the strongest companies. This downturn comes after years of steady growth and will lead auto companies to cut vehicle production next year. USA Today leads with new Census Bureau estimates that illustrate how the recession and housing crisis are changing the nation's migration patterns. The Sun Belt boom is now a thing of the past. For the first time since the early 1970s, more people left Florida than moved in during the 12 months ending in July. Under the new estimates, eight states would lose a seat in the House of Representatives. The WSJ leads its world-wide newsbox with news that a federal jury convicted five men of plotting to kill soldiers at the Fort Dix military base in New Jersey. The five men could face life in prison for a plot that prosecutors described as serious and imminent. To continue reading, click here.

Bust Your Windows:Jazmine Sullivan

More Videos

Keyshia Cole is done with sad songs

NEW YORK – Heartbreaking, emotional songs like "Love" and "I Remember" helped make Keyshia Cole one of R&B's most popular stars. But while those songs resonate with millions of fans, the soul sensation says she can't stand to listen to them anymore. Cole says she's tired of singing those same old sad love songs. So on her new CD, "A Different Me," released this month, Cole introduces her "sexier" side. Currently on tour with Lil Wayne and Gym Class Heroes, the 27-year-old diva — who is also a big reality star thanks to her successful BET show "Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is" — say she's changing up her stage performance and hopes to gain worldwide appeal. AP: On the opening track of the new CD, you introduce your "sexier" side. What does that mean exactly? Cole: Just the mood of some of the music, and also the pictures that I took for the album packaging were a little bit sexier than normal. It's a lot lighter and sexier, you can listen to it and it's not so heartbroken and painful.

AP: Do you feel sexier now than before?

Cole: I just think that sexier is, I guess, the clothes that you're wearing. I've always been a young lady but I just chose to do certain things or look a certain way before. I really did like the fact that I work really hard to make it here. It's just a sexier or softer side of myself that I chose to put forth and show the world. I think it's always been there, it's just the point of bringing it out and being comfortable with yourself. AP: Talk about the songwriting process when recording the new CD.

Cole: With "Love," after I wrote that song, I couldn't listen to it, I still can't listen to "Love," I just can't. Like I don't even listen to my own albums, which is bad because I really need to do that because I perform them all the time. It's just that after I write it, and I felt that way and I remember that way, it's hard for me to go back and really listen to it because I hate feeling that way. But I perform those songs almost every night so it's something that I have to take myself back to and remember that feeling and project that feeling to the world. But that's why I went with the "A Different Me" title because I am a traveling performer and a growing entertainer and I wanted to switch up the music and change it up and give it a different vibe because I don't want to be on the same vibe every night singing the same type of song. SOURCE:YAHOONEWS.COM

Music industry takes aim at YouTube

As much as the music biz needs the Internet to spread the word about bands and recordings, there remains a tension between the two that suggests they have yet to create a level playing field for doing business together. When Warner Music Group ordered YouTube to remove videos from its artists this past weekend, it served as a reminder that copyright holders not only want payment for their wares but control over promotional activities as well. Since day one, the major labels have struggled with sites that promote fan activity. And the difference in attitudes regarding content and compensation certainly drove a wedge between the music and online sides when Warner Music and AOL were still under the same Time Warner umbrella. Warner Music Group has been a leader in getting consumers to buy its music online. This year, one of its labels, Atlantic, declared itself to be the first major imprint to be generating higher revenues from digital downloads than from physical CDs. And WMG was the first major to strike a deal with YouTube. That agreement pre-dated the purchase of the video site by Google. After months of negotiations, the talks broke down last week and Warner informed YouTube that its videos need to be removed from the site. (Translation: T.I., Metallica, Madonna and Kid Rock have to be removed now, and maybe we'll get around to pulling down those who don't sell as much -- k.d. lang and Pat Metheny for example. ) YouTube is still in talks with the other majors as all of the big four signed deals more than two years ago to receive a payment each time one of their videos is streamed. The labels also share in the advertising revenue generated by the site. CONTINUE READING...

Berry, Perry to host NAACP Image Awards

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fox TV says Halle Berry and actor-screenwriter Tyler Perry will host the 40th NAACP Image Awards in February.Nominations for the Image Awards, which honor those who promote diversity in the arts, will be announced Jan. 7.The Feb. 12 ceremony, airing on Fox, will kick off a yearlong centennial celebration for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.Berry, an Academy Award-winner for "Monster's Ball," and Perry, whose credits include the film "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," are former Image Award winners. Awards chair Clayola Brown said in a statement Tuesday that the two have broken entertainment-industry barriers and their success offers hope for further progress.

Dellums Not Enthused About HBO Oakland Pimp Drama

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums said a proposed HBO television series that would examine the world of prostitution in Oakland "goes against our vision of Oakland as the Model City and does a disservice to our residents and visitors alike."In a statement released by his office, Dellums said, "While I understand that there are certain benefits to having a major film done in our city, I am not willing to support this project at this time."Dellums said, "The people of Oakland have come too far to have our city's name trampled upon in the name of entertainment. I am willing to further discuss this project with HBO when time permits."Dellums' statement comes in the wake of a Dec. 8 memo by Ami Zins, Oakland's film coordinator, in which she said the proposed show, which is called "Gentlemen of Leisure," will present "an opportunity for Oakland to be seen internationally on a regular basis within the context of a noir drama, while also depicting the many sides of Oakland of which we are all so proud."Zins said that when she first heard about the possibility that the program would be filmed in Oakland, "I was extremely concerned about the negative effect it could have on Oakland, our image to outsiders and our sense of pride in the many positive aspects of the city." But she said that after lengthy conversations with executive producer Polly Anthony and screenwriter Evan Reilly, "I am convinced that Oakland stands to benefit from the collaboration." Zins said the show will be a one-hour dramatic series "which will center around a pimp who is now in his 40s who is struggling to change his life so that he, his wife, who was his first prostitute, and their child can live a legal, safe upper-middle class life."She said the quality and tone of the series "will be reminiscent of HBO's recent pre-eminent series 'The Sopranos,'" which revolved around a mafia family. Zins said HBO currently is without a trademark urban drama and "Gentlemen of Leisure" is a possible contender for that distinction. An HBO spokesperson said Monday that the project is only in very early development and HBO hasn't made a commitment to do a series or even a pilot. Any discussion about where the possible program would be filmed is premature, the spokesperson said. She said Anthony and Reilly work with HBO but aren't HBO employees. Zins said that Anthony told her that although she has never lived in Oakland, "she has spent quite a bit of time in Oakland and chose Oakland as the location for the show out of appreciation for our diversity, our beauty and our rich musical history." Zins said the show will be set in Oakland and Anthony plans to film the entire series in Oakland, primarily on location.CONTINUE READING..

RIHANNA TO SING AT INAUGURATION BALL: Singer booked for RIAA's event to benefit nation's largest hunger-relief organization.

Rihanna will be in Washington D.C. next month with hundreds of other celebrities who are taking part in various inaugural balls following the swearing in of Barack Obama.The pop star will headline the Recording Industry Association of America's Presidential Inauguration Charity Ball, to benefit Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief organization. Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America, tells People.com: "We could not be happier that Rihanna will be performing at the Inauguration charity ball to benefit Feeding America."Rihanna's involvement will help raise awareness about the prevalence of hunger in America and help bring more aid to the 36 Elsewhere on the night of Jan 20, Sting will be performing at the Creative Coalition ball, while Kanye West is said to be in talks to perform for the Impact Film Fund, according to People.com.

Wanna party with Obama on Jan. 20? Better bring some Benjamins

So you want to go to the inaugural and dance next to the Obamas? Dream on, unless you're ready to drop a lot of cash or your first name is "Rahm." Sure, for those dying to be there just to be there for President-elect Barack Obama's historic inauguration Jan. 20, there will be plenty of pomp, drama and free stuff offered in Washington, D.C., over several days surrounding the big event. But expect to part with at least several house payments/rent checks if you want the chance to be in the same room as the Obamas or view them on anything other than one of the 10 massive video walls pitched around the national Mall on the big day. Even cash is not a guarantee of proximity. There are unofficial inaugural balls - many of which are already selling tickets - and official Presidential Inaugural Committee balls - which won't be announced until perhaps later this week. The first couple - and their Secret Service minders - haven't decided which balls or events they will stop by and probably won't reveal their schedule before they show up for a dance and a wave. No telling if they'll stop by unofficial ones. While official inaugural committee organizers promise "inclusive and accessible" events between Jan. 17 and 21, there is chasm between what is available based on the amount of cash you're packing. It's just like any political fundraiser: If you pay $2,300, you get your photograph snapped with the candidate. If you don't, you wait outside for a fleeting glimpse. The Presidential Inaugural Committee is defraying costs of the event by selling four-ticket packages for $50,000. Included in the package are four tickets to the swearing-in ceremony, the inaugural parade, one of the 10 official inaugural balls and ducats to other concerts and happenings.CONTINUE READING....

More Companies Are Cutting Labor Costs Without Layoffs

Even as layoffs are reaching historic levels, some employers have found an alternative to slashing their work force. They’re nipping and tucking it instead. A growing number of employers, hoping to avoid or limit layoffs, are introducing four-day workweeks, unpaid vacations and voluntary or enforced furloughs, along with wage freezes, pension cuts and flexible work schedules. These employers are still cutting labor costs, but hanging onto the labor. And in some cases, workers are even buying in. Witness the unusual suggestion made in early December by the chairman of the faculty senate at Brandeis University, who proposed that the school’s 300 professors and instructors give up 1 percent of their pay. “What we are doing is a symbolic gesture that has real consequences — it can save a few jobs,” said William Flesch, the senate chairman and an English professor. He says more than 30 percent have volunteered for the pay cut, which could save at least $100,000 and prevent layoffs for at least several employees. “It’s not painless, but it is relatively painless and it could help some people,” he said. Some of these cooperative cost-cutting tactics are not entirely unique to this downturn. But the reasons behind the steps — and the rationale for the sharp growth in their popularity in just the last month — reflect the peculiarities of this recession, its sudden deepening and the changing dynamics of the global economy. Companies taking nips and tucks to their work force say this economy plunged so quickly in October that they do not want to prune too much should it just as suddenly roar back. They also say they have been so careful about hiring and spending in recent years — particularly in the last 12 months when nearly everyone sensed the country was in a recession — that highly productive workers, not slackers, remain on the payroll. At some companies, employees are supporting the indirect wage cuts — at least for now. The downturn hit so hard, with its toll felt so widely through hits on pensions and 401(k) retirement plans and with the future so murky, that employers and even some employees say it is better to accept minor cuts than risk more draconian steps. The rolls of companies nipping at labor costs with measures less drastic than wholesale layoffs include Dell (extended unpaid holiday), Cisco (four-day year-end shutdown), Motorola (salary cuts), Nevada casinos (four-day workweek), Honda (voluntary unpaid vacation time) and The Seattle Times (plans to save $1 million with a week of unpaid furlough for 500 workers). There are also many midsize and small companies trying such tactics. To be sure, these efforts are far less widespread than layoffs, and outright pay cuts still appear to be rare. Over all, the average hourly pay of rank-and-file workers — who make up about four-fifths of the work force — rose 3.7 percent from November 2007 to last month, according to the latest Labor Department data.Watson Wyatt, a consulting firm that tracks compensation trends, published survey data last week that found that 23 percent of companies planned layoffs in the next year, down from 26 percent that said they planned to do so in October. Companies say they are considering other cost cuts, like mandatory holiday shutdowns, salary freezes or cuts, four-day workweeks and reductions of contributions to retirement and health care plans.CONTINUE READING...

As Economy Dips, Arrests for Shoplifting Soar

Richard R. Johnson is the first to admit it was a bad idea.Recently laid off from a job building trailers in Elkhart, Ind., Mr. Johnson came up a dollar short at Martin’s Supermarket last month when he went to buy a $4.99 bottle of sleep medication. So, “for some stupid reason,” he tried to shoplift it and was immediately arrested.“I was desperate, I guess,” said Mr. Johnson, 25, who said he had never been arrested before. As the economy has weakened, shoplifting has increased, and retail security experts say the problem has grown worse this holiday season. Shoplifters are taking everything from compact discs and baby formula to gift cards and designer clothing.Police departments across the country say that shoplifting arrests are 10 percent to 20 percent higher this year than last. The problem is probably even greater than arrest records indicate since shoplifters are often banned from stores rather than arrested.Much of the increase has come from first-time offenders like Mr. Johnson making rash decisions in a pinch, the authorities say. But the ease with which stolen goods can be sold on the Internet has meant a bigger role for organized crime rings, which also engage in receipt fraud, fake price tagging and gift card schemes, the police and security experts say.And as temptation has grown for potential thieves, so too has stores’ vulnerability.“More people are desperate economically, retailers are operating with leaner staffs and police forces are cutting back or being told to deprioritize shoplifting calls,” said Paul Jones, the vice president of asset protection for the Retail Industry Leaders Association.The problem, he said, could be particularly acute this December, “the month of the year when shoplifting always goes way up.”Two of the largest retail associations say that more than 80 percent of their members are reporting sharp increases in shoplifting, according to surveys conducted in the last two months.Compounding the problem, stores are more reluctant to stop suspicious customers because they fear scaring away much-needed business. And retailers are increasingly trying to save money by hiring seasonal workers who, security experts say, are themselves more likely to commit fraud or theft and are less practiced at catching shoplifters than full-time employees are.More than $35 million in merchandise is stolen each day nationwide, and about one in 11 people in America have shoplifted, according to the nonprofit National Association for Shoplifting Prevention.CONTINUE READING..

Clinton Moves to Widen Role of State Dept.

WASHINGTON — Even before taking office, Hillary Rodham Clinton is seeking to build a more powerful State Department, with a bigger budget, high-profile special envoys to trouble spots and an expanded role in dealing with global economic issues at a time of crisis.Mrs. Clinton is recruiting Jacob J. Lew, the budget director under President Bill Clinton, as one of two deputies, according to people close to the Obama transition team. Mr. Lew’s focus, they said, will be on increasing the share of financing that goes to the diplomatic corps. He and James B. Steinberg, a deputy national security adviser in the Clinton administration, are to be Mrs. Clinton’s chief lieutenants.Nominations of deputy secretaries, like Mrs. Clinton’s, would be subject to confirmation by the Senate.The incoming administration is also likely to name several envoys, officials said, reviving a practice of the Clinton administration, when Richard C. Holbrooke, Dennis Ross and other diplomats played a central role in mediating disputes in the Balkans and the Middle East.As Mrs. Clinton puts together her senior team, officials said, she is also trying to carve out a bigger role for the State Department in economic affairs, where the Treasury has dominated during the Bush years. She has sought advice from Laura D’Andrea Tyson, an economist who headed Mr. Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers.The steps seem intended to strengthen the role of diplomacy after a long stretch, particularly under Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, in which the Pentagon, the vice president’s office and even the intelligence agencies held considerable sway over American foreign policy.Given Mrs. Clinton’s prominence, expanding the department’s portfolio could bring on conflict with other powerful cabinet members.Mrs. Clinton and President-elect Barack Obama have not settled on specific envoys or missions, although Mr. Ross’s name has been mentioned as a possible Middle East envoy, as have those of Mr. Holbrooke and Martin Indyk, a former United States ambassador to Israel.The Bush administration has made relatively little use of special envoys. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has personally handled most peacemaking initiatives, which has meant a punishing schedule of Middle East missions, often with meager results. CONTINUE READING...

5 Recession-Proof Industries That Pay

With health care costs, food prices, and the unemployment rate on the rise, you need to do everything you can to protect yourself - and your career - from the danger of recession.

Check out these 5 stable, growing industries. Many feature careers that pay $50,000 and more!

1. EDUCATION

Education isn't just for kids. In fact, in 2003, the U.S. had over 75 million students of varying ages at all levels - from elementary school to college and beyond!

Having an impact on young minds and sharing your knowledge can be a rewarding, steady career. You can get started on a teaching career with a 4-year college degree in teacher education. If you're already a teacher, you can prepare to advance to a principal position with a master's degree in educational leadership or educational administration.

The Pay Off: Salaries for kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers average about $47,000 to $52,000 a year.* Principals have an average annual salary that ranges from $40,000 to more than $80,000! Learn more about education and teaching programs now.

2. ACCOUNTING AND AUDITING

Now more than ever companies are being held responsible for their financial reporting. Add evolving financial laws and regulations and the increasing number of businesses into the equation, and the result is an in-demand, stable industry with a wealth of employment opportunities.

Get started on a recession-proof accounting career with a bachelor's or associate's degree in accounting, and then broaden your opportunities and salary range with an accounting master's degree. Or you can get your feet wet with an accounting diploma or accounting certificate program.

The Pay Off: The median annual salary for accountants and auditors in 2007 was $63,180.

Another Plus: Accounting is a broad industry with many specialties. Want to work for the IRS? Explore government accounting programs. Interested in investigating financial wrongdoing? Try a forensic accounting program.

3. HEALTH CARE

It's no surprise that one of the most stable industries - even when the economy is in poor shape - is health care. No matter what the state of the country, there will always be people in need of quality health care services.

Train to coordinate and plan the delivery of health care services with a health services administration or health care administration degree. Want to assist doctors and care for the sick? Consider a nursing diploma or degree program. Or prepare for a supporting role with a one-year dental assisting and short-term medical assisting programs.

The Pay Off: Medical assistants make an average of $13.59 an hour - over $28,000 annually. Dental assistants make an average of $15.52 an hour which can add up to about $32,000 annually. Registered nurses averaged over $62,000 per year in 2007. Medical and health services managers can make over $80,000 annually.

4. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Constantly evolving technology means continued growth and stability for careers in the information technology industry. Consider studying to become a computer systems analyst or computer software engineer.

To get started, you'll need at least a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field, like information security.

The Pay Off: Computer systems analysts can earn an average annual salary of $75,890. Computer software engineers, who design, develop, test, and evaluate computer software and systems, earn an average of $85,000 to $90,000 a year!

5. SECURITY

Following 9/11, national security became a top priority. Factor in a growing population and increased concern for public safety, and you see an industry full of lucrative, stable careers.

Although you can join the police force with only a high school diploma, a degree in law enforcement, criminal justice, public administration, or other industry-related areas can help you get ahead in this line of work. To work as a probation officer, you'll need to start with a bachelor's degree in social work or criminal justice.

The Pay Off: Police officers earn an estimated $50,670 a year. Detectives and criminal investigators earn an estimated annual salary of $62,500. Probation officers have a median salary of $47,980.

Another Plus: With three years of full-time related work experience, and the right degree, you could meet the criteria for employment as an FBI agent!

*All salary data from Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor

Love That Girl : By Raphael Saadiq

More Videos

Katrina's Hidden Race War

 EXCERPT FROM THE NATION -- The way Donnell Herrington tells it, there was no warning. One second he was trudging through the heat. The next he was lying prostrate on the pavement, his life spilling out of a hole in his throat, his body racked with pain, his vision blurred and distorted. A.C. Thompson: White vigilante justice tore through New Orleans after the storm. But no official investigation has shed light on the violence.

It was September 1, 2005, some three days after Hurricane Katrina crashed into New Orleans, and somebody had just blasted Herrington, who is African-American, with a shotgun. "I just hit the ground. I didn't even know what happened," recalls Herrington, a burly 32-year-old with a soft drawl. The sudden eruption of gunfire horrified Herrington's companions--his cousin Marcel Alexander, then 17, and friend Chris Collins, then 18, who are also black. "I looked at Donnell and he had this big old hole in his neck," Alexander recalls. "I tried to help him up, and they started shooting again." Herrington says he was staggering to his feet when a second shotgun blast struck him from behind; the spray of lead pellets also caught Collins and Alexander. The buckshot peppered Alexander's back, arm and buttocks. Herrington shouted at the other men to run and turned to face his attackers: three armed white males. Herrington says he hadn't even seen the men or their weapons before the shooting began. As Alexander and Collins fled, Herrington ran in the opposite direction, his hand pressed to the bleeding wound on his throat. Behind him, he says, the gunmen yelled, "Get him! Get that nigger!" The attack occurred in Algiers Point. The Point, as locals call it, is a neighborhood within a neighborhood, a small cluster of ornate, immaculately maintained 150-year-old houses within the larger Algiers district. A nationally recognized historic area, Algiers Point is largely white, while the rest of Algiers is predominantly black. It's a "white enclave" whose residents have "a kind of siege mentality," says Tulane University historian Lance Hill, noting that some white New Orleanians "think of themselves as an oppressed minority." A wide street lined with towering trees, Opelousas Avenue marks the dividing line between Algiers Point and greater Algiers, and the difference in wealth between the two areas is immediately noticeable. "On one side of Opelousas it's 'hood, on the other side it's suburbs," says one local. "The two sides are totally opposite, like muddy and clean."CONTINUE READING..

TODAY'S PAPERS: Obama's Stocking Stuffer: More Jobs

The New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times lead with Barack Obama's expanded goals for his economic stimulus package. The president-elect now hopes to create or save at least 3 million jobs over the next two years, up from the 2.5 million he promised last month. The LAT says Obama "has more than tripled the size of the economic stimulus package he embraced during the campaign." With his most recent proposal reaching nearly $800 billion, some think it will be the most expensive measure ever funded by Congress, says the WP. All the papers note that Obama was compelled to bulk up his plan after a gloomy meeting with his economic advisers on Tuesday. His aides cautioned that the nation's unemployment rate could top 9 percent by 2011 if aggressive action isn't taken. The NYT and WP report that liberal and conservative economists alike have embraced the idea of a large stimulus plan, ranging in size from $800 billion to $1.3 trillion. This, along with a promise by Democratic leaders to ban earmarks, could make it hard for fiscal conservatives in Congress to oppose the measure. To continue reading, click here.

4 men sought in gang rape of lesbian

Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of four men who allegedly kidnapped and gang-raped for nearly an hour a 28-year-old Richmond woman, who was left naked when they fled in her car. The crime, which occurred on Dec. 13, is being investigated as a hate crime because of comments the suspects made about the victim's sexual orientation, police said. The woman is openly lesbian and had a rainbow sticker on her license plate, a symbol of gay pride. "The emotional impact has changed her life," said Lt. Mark Gagan of the Richmond Police Department. "It is an absolute nightmare for her to have gone through. For 45 minutes, four strangers brutalized her." The ordeal began around 9:30 p.m. in the 1500 block of Visalia Avenue in Richmond's Belding-Wood neighborhood, said Gagan. The woman was sexually assaulted in that location after she got out of her car, police said. Then she was forced back into her vehicle after the suspects noticed someone approaching. She was driven seven blocks away to the 1300 block of Burbeck Avenue, where she was repeatedly sexually assaulted near an apartment complex, Gagan said. After the attack, the men drove off in her car, police said. She sought help from a nearby resident who called police. She was taken to a local hospital and treated for her injuries. Her car was recovered the next day in Richmond. The attackers are being sought on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, kidnapping, carjacking and sexual assault. The charges carry a hate crime enhancement. Police described the first suspect, believed to be the group leader, as a Latino man in his 30s, who stands 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 180 pounds, and has black hair, brown eyes and a mustache. The second suspect is described as an African American man in his early 20s, about 5 feet 10 inches, 170 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He is known by the nickname "Blu," police said. The third suspect is described as Latino, 18 to 20 years old, who is nicknamed "Pato." The fourth suspect is described only as a Latino man 18 to 20 years old. "Everybody in our community has an interest in making sure these people are apprehended and brought to justice," said Gagan. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Ysenia Rogers at (510) 672-1718.