TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 2011
Jack Donaghy gets his first campaign poster. Honesty! Integrity! Handshakefulness!
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FRIENDLY ENEMIES
GOP hopefuls target Obama, not each other, in civil N.H. debate
BY HASANI GITTENS
Looks like the Republicans have finally remembered Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.”
The seven Republican candidates on stage at CNN’s presidential debate in Manchester, N.H., last night used their time in the spotlight to attack President Obama’s record while declining the opportunity to attack one another on policy differences.
Fresh off a Sunday show appearance in which he dubbed Mitt Romney’s 2006 health care law in Massachusetts “Obomneycare” for its similarity to Obama’s national law, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty declined to slam his opponent when given the chance, saying instead that his intention had to been to target the president.
Romney, who leads the pack in both fundraising and polling, defended his signature policy achievement as governor of Massachusetts, saying it was a “state plan and a state solution,” and that he would immediately repeal the president’s health care law upon entering the White House.
“Why didn’t you give me a call and ask what worked and what didn’t?” Romney asked of the president during one answer.
Romney later returned the favor when asked for his opinion of Pawlenty’s economic plan, which projects 5 percent economic growth over the next 10 years. “Tim has the right instincts,” Romney said, later adding that his ideas were “in the right wheelhouse.”
Romney and Pawlenty were joined on the stage by five other candidates — Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and businessman Herman Cain.
Santorum, the most socially conservative candidate on the stage, also passed on the opportunity to hit Romney for his changed view on abortion, saying just that voters should look at candidates’ records on social issues to determine “the authenticity of the candidate.”
Although he was pro-choice during his tenure in Massachusetts, Romney said his pro-life position had not changed since his first run for president in 2008, saying “I’m firmly pro-life” and “I believe in the sanctity of life from the beginning to the end.”
Instead, all the candidates turned fire on the president, hammering him on his economic record.
“Where are the president’s ideas? Why isn’t the president leading? He’s not leading on balancing the budget and he’s not leading on jobs,” Romney said.
“His report card has a big failing grade on it,” Bachmann said. “We’re going to win. Obama is a one-term president.”
Romney and Paul both said the United States should withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, but disagreed on a timetable.
Romney said the generals in Afghanistan should guide the pullout schedule of American troops based on conditions on the ground. He said the troops should come home as soon as possible under those conditions.
Paul said the president must tell generals what to do. He said if he were president he would begin withdrawing troops almost immediately. He said the United States has no purpose fighting a war in Afghanistan.
At the start of the debate, Bachmann tried to steal the spotlight by announcing that she had filed the requisite paperwork to run for president and would formally announce her campaign “soon.”
“I just want to make an announcement here for you John on CNN tonight,” Bachmann told CNN debate moderator John King. “I filed today my paperwork to seek the office of the presidency of the United States and I very soon will be making my formal announcement.”
Meanwhile, an email was sent out to her supporters announcing the move and appealing for funds.
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman did not participate in the event. He is expected to announce his candidacy within a few weeks.
— With NewsCore, AP
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Highest heroism
Blimp pilot saves 3 passengers before dying in fiery wreck
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Coquette: On movies, muppets and not becoming a man-child
Dear Coquette,
What is your favorite Muppet? And why?
Animal, because he’s a drummer.
I don’t think I respect my husband anymore. Is there any way to fix this?
That’s up to him.
What’s the worst thing a person can do?
Hate.
Am I supposed to be having fun in college?
You’re supposed to be having fun in life, my dear.
What are your thoughts on assisted suicide?
I consider the right to die as absolute and inalienable as the right to live.
At what point does Republican distrust and hatred of the government and effort to dismantle and cripple it begin to resemble treason?
Treason is a crime against a nation, not a government. You mean sedition. Also, you really need to relax.
I’m gay and my life will fall apart if anyone finds out, what should I do?
Start changing the circumstances of your life that keep you from being true to yourself.
“Pulp Fiction” or “Kill Bill?”
True Romance.
How do you become hard to get? Do you just have to be an amazing/cool person and choosy about who you date?
It’s not about being cool and choosy. It’s about knowing yourself and having high standards.
How do you forgive someone?
Let go of all your anger and resentment for them.
What do you think of the saying “youth is wasted on the young”?
I think it’s equally valid as saying wisdom is wasted on the old.
Is the belief that it’s all gonna work out (even if it doesn’t work like you planned it) hopeless optimism or smiling peace?
It’s hopeless optimism if you expect a happy ending. It’s smiling peace if you have no expectations at all.
What are your religious beliefs?
I’m not one for irrational delusions.
How do I not grow up to be a man-child?
Actually grow the hell up.
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Modesty is in for the Army as troops take off their black berets for the traditional patrol cap. But not everyone is happy about it:
“I was disgusted” when the rules were changed, said [Jason Baker, a retired Ranger who also served in the Panama invasion].
Back then, he said, the black beret was a symbol of pride and distinction for Rangers, something young soldiers aspired to one day earn.
“If a guy disgraced themselves, you would say, ‘You don’t deserve to wear that beret,’ ” Baker said. “A lot of honor and history and pride went into putting that beret on your head.”
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Happy Flag Day! This wonderful photo - located in our digital gallery - is of the original American flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.” A first edition of the national anthem is currently on exhibit at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in Gottesman Hall. We can’t think of a better way to spend such a patriotic day!
But, even if you can’t make it out to the Library today, you can show your support for the Library and use your democratic voice to oppose NYC’s proposed budget cut. Visit takeaction.nypl.org.
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ON HIS OWN TERMS
Brash and unconventional, Cuban’s vision finally produces a title
BY DAN WOLKEN
MIAMI — On the night Mark Cuban’s championship quest started to barrel toward reality, he was wearing a Dallas Mavericks jersey, gym shorts and a smile as wide as Texas. It was a little more than two hours before the start of Game 5, and if you didn’t know who he was, you might think he had come from the cheap seats.
That was obviously not the case. Cuban had paid the toll and then some to be part of that moment: $285 million to buy the Mavericks in 2000 when they were a joke of an NBA franchise, years of massive investment to make them a contender and more than $1.5 million in fines for comments critical of the league.
Cuban had paid another price, too. From the moment he joined the ultra-exclusive club of NBA owners until he finally hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy late Sunday night, Cuban hasn’t always been easy to like. He’s collected conflicts like crazy, feuding publicly with everyone from commissioner David Stern to referees to opposing players and coaches and even a few members of the media. And despite the underdog narrative that the Mavericks carried through to the finals, Cuban isn’t exactly running the Little Sisters of the Poor. At $90 million in payroll, only the Lakers had a more expensive roster this season.
But as the league now embarks on a sobering summer of collective bargaining brinkmanship, it would be wise to remember that there are two NBAs at odds here: There is Cuban’s NBA, which just delivered one of the most entertaining finals in years, and there is the NBA of so many deadbeat owners whose main goal is to avoid losing their ass(ets).
So whatever you think of Cuban, know this: Last Thursday, before the biggest home game that had ever been played in Dallas, fans were lined up by the dozens surrounding the court to get his autograph. They quite like Cuban’s NBA. And so do I.
“He set the bar high,” Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd said.
Seriously, how many owners in professional sports inspire fans to ask for their autographs? At their worst, owners are the source of all sports evil, the endless targets of talk-radio rants, the cheapskates who wouldn’t go out and sign the expensive free agent or the high-profile coach. At their best, they’re more like the New England Patriots’ Robert Kraft or Pittsburgh Steelers’ Dan Rooney, stately figures who run solid organizations.
But Cuban? He’s a rock star, and there aren’t many of those among the select group of people who own pro franchises. Jerry Jones or Jerry Buss, maybe, though the former isn’t nearly as adored now. Al Davis is more infamous than beloved. Michael Jordan is popular for different reasons. Jerry Reinsdorf is a titan in Chicago, but are Bulls or White Sox fans lining up for his autograph? There’s a difference.
That’s not to say every owner should aspire to be like Cuban. But the litmus test for ownership is a simple one: Will they do what’s necessary to win? Mavericks fans and players know that Cuban will, and they love him for it.
“I give Mark a lot of credit,” Dirk Nowitzki said Sunday night after winning the finals Most Valuable Player award. “He always brought all the right players in, always trying to spend money and make the organization better and this team better. Mark is the best.”
Outside of the NFL, owning a pro sports team isn’t necessarily great business. A lot of them lose money, which is why the NBA season may not start on time this fall and why the NHL could be facing another lockout in 2012-13. Owners always want “cost certainty,” which is a fancy way of saying they want a foolproof way to make a profit. But that always fails after a while, and every five years or so we end up back on the precipice of a labor meltdown.
The truth is that good franchises generally win and make money, and the bad ones generally have to rely on things like revenue sharing to minimize their losses. No matter what kind of collective bargaining agreement they come up with, that will not change. If you’re afraid of spending big money and perhaps losing some of it, owning a pro sports franchise probably isn’t for you.
Cuban was a sports fan who became a billionaire thanks to the dot-com explosion. The very next year he bought an NBA team because he wanted to enjoy it, and he wanted to win. Dallas is lucky. Cuban had enough money and enough willingness to invest it in the team that he made them a legitimate winner and ultimately a champion.
“As the clock started winding down and we were up nine or whatever with a minute to go, it dawned on me: This is really going to happen,” Cuban said. “I was just hoping I could just do an emotional videotape of myself and just keep it. So that’s my biggest hope and fear that I’ll be able to feel this forever.”
It’s really something how the end of a series can change so much. Chris Bosh, the subject of ridicule for months, ends up looking better than anyone else on the Miami Heat roster for his graceful exit. And for Cuban, who purposely stayed under the radar this year throughout the playoffs, there was also something unexpended. When it came time to present the trophy and break his silence, he allowed his nemesis Stern to hand the trophy to the 78-year-old former Mavericks owner Don Carter.
Cuban’s NBA has never been a better place.
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Statehouse smarts
Where America’s most and least college-educated lawmakers are
BY JENNY MERKIN
Many state legislators feel higher education isn’t worth the price.
One in every four of America’s approximately 7,400 state legislators don’t have a four-year college degree, according to a report by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Nearly 9 percent of state lawmakers nationwide have never attended college.
Of those legislators who graduated from college, 80 percent went to public institutions. Harvard University is best represented in legislatures, with 140 graduates in statehouses.
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Coquette: The hazards of feeling grateful, resentful and selfless
Dear Coquette,
I’ve got a stable, successful career that allows me the opportunity to have my own home, support my disabled mother, and put my husband through college without him having to work a job. I work really hard for what I’ve got, and I’ve come a long way from my past (super broke ghetto kid); conversely, my husband has never had to work for much (super rich golden child). I’m glad that I can support him and give him the life I wish I had — after all, who doesn’t want a free ride through college without having the distraction of a job to bog you down? But at the same time, I’m kicking my own ass because, deep down, I feel resentful of his position. Even he claims to feel “unfulfilled” by not holding down a job, which in turn makes me feel even more resentful because I feel like he should be super grateful for what I do for him.
I guess the question is, am I a jerk for feeling resentful? Didn’t I do it to myself? And shouldn’t I just be pleased with myself for doing a good deed?
Never expect someone to feel grateful. Ever. Just don’t do it. It’s always better to be pleasantly surprised when someone expresses genuine gratitude, as opposed to being constantly disappointed by a world full of petty thoughtlessness.
While you’re at it, try not to be all pleased with yourself for doing a good deed. It’s just a manifestation of your ego, and that never layers well with expectations of gratitude. It’s also the kind of thing that turns selfless acts into selfish ones, and the resulting emotions are the inevitable building blocks of resentment.
Speaking of which, are you ready for some brutal truth? Golden boy resents you too. All that whining about being unfulfilled is a manifestation of his resentment, and it’s the closest he’ll ever come to telling you the dark and sticky truth, outside of couples therapy.
His resentment isn’t justified, but that’s why he keeps it to himself. Quite frankly, your resentment isn’t justified either, and between the two of you, you’re each bottling up enough of the stuff to turn it into a slow-acting poison for your marriage.
You guys should really air out these issues. The sooner the better. Over time, this is the stuff that silently kills long-term relationships, because it erodes the foundation of respect upon which they’re built.
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Born to run
Gene tests stir controversy by predicting kids’ athletic talent
BY RACHEL STURTZ
Kids don’t like to be told what to do, let alone what to play. But two companies are marketing genetic tests that use DNA to determine the best sports for your child, taking the guesswork — and perhaps joy — out of discovering that your progeny is a natural born baseball player.
The process is easy enough. A quick swab of a child’s inside cheek collects the DNA. Mail it to the lab, and then it analyzes the gene ACTN3, a protein that will determine if your child has fast-twitch muscles for explosive power like a sprinter, slow-twitch muscles for endurance like a marathoner or a combination of both.
The newest test on the market, Sports X Factor, offered by American International Biotechnology Services, takes it a step further and also reports on the risk of swelling after a concussion, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia and other injuries.
“Some of our athletes have taken the test and we use it to help design a training plan for them,” says Ryan Muetzel, sales director at Athlete’s Edge, a sports performance training company in Boca Raton, Fla. “It gives us an indication of how their body is set up. If they’re prone to ACL and MCL injuries, we’ll focus on exercises to strengthen the area.”
It sounds preventive. Efficient. Informative. Easy.
But such direct-to-consumer tests have been drawing criticism for the past two years, most recently at the American College of Sports Medicine’s 58th annual conference last week.
“I have no doubt these tests are accurate about the genotypes a person possesses,” says Stephen M. Ross, a University of Maryland researcher who specializes in exercise physiology and genetics. “My concern is about the scientific validity of what they’re claiming. You can’t market a gene to do X for strength because there isn’t enough research out there to back it up.”
Whereas research is lacking for certain genes, there are others genes, like ApoE — which the makers of Sports X Factor claim can be an indicator for swelling after a concussion — that play a dangerous dual role.
Do a Web search of ApoE, and you’ll find plenty of studies that support a relationship between the gene and a risk for Alzheimer’s disease — something you may not want to know about your 5-year-old.
“In genetics, there’s a rule: You shouldn’t test kids for something you can’t do anything about while they’re still kids,” says law professor Hank Greely, director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford University.
Sports X Factor only correlates the findings to the concussion test, so consumers would never know about the Alzheimer’s link unless they researched it. But as science advances, genomes could become indicators for new diseases, which is why the Food and Drug Administration is taking a harder look at direct-to-consumer genetic testing.
And when it comes to parents’ interest in raising Olympians, Greely suggests letting the coaches figure out a child’s strengths. “They’ve seen enough athletes and I don’t think most of them need a genetic test to know who will be their best forward.”
“But if you really want to find out who’s a better marathoner and who’s a better sprinter,” he said, “put them on a track and watch them run.”
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Hot Air Hookup
To defy gravity and prove that members of the body modification community aren't just in it for the shock value, a documentary is being made that isn't for the squeamish. "Feet Off the Ground" tracks a Seattle man as he's flown across Long Valley Caldera, California, while suspended by his piercings from a hot air balloon.
Credit: The Daily (www.thedaily.com)
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