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Jacob Heilbrunn
Is the American Dream Dying?
The great economic debate of the past couple years has been the Federal Reserve's attempts to prop up the economy as Congress has gone AWOL. Now, after priming the pump as much as possible, the Fed is offering a cautious vote of confidence in a recovering economy, declaring that the era of quantitive easing will begin to come to an end. Tapering is in. Tampering is out.
The markets are not swooning. Stocks were up on Wednesday as the Dow jumped nearly three hundred points. Instead, they have probably already priced in the move. Bonds remain strong. The dollar is relatively robust, though it has been dropping against the British pound.
But larger and more fundamental questions continue to loom over the country: Is the American dream coming to a close? Who's getting the benefits of the recovery? Can the political system recover from the polarization it's been experiencing?
In the Wall Street Journal, William Galston, who has been writing a column for the paper in recent months, offers a highly insightful look at the problems America faces. Galson notes that America really faces a crisis of confidence. Americans are not confident about many things. A recent Bloomberg survey, he notes, indicated that "individuals do not have an equal chance of getting ahead." His own organization, No Labels, has conducted a poll that indicates that only 38 percent of Americans think the country's best days are ahead of it: "Only 26% believe that the next generation of Americans will be better off than this generation and fully 62% believe the coming generation will be worse off."
These are not sentiments or numbers that can be easily dismissed. President Obama's response has been to focus on inequality without offering a satisfactory plan for how to ameliorate it. Simply further taxing the wealthy is not going to restore prosperity. It will inhibit it. At the same time, the congressional sequester is crimping growth. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that growth would be 1.5 percent higher this year absent the tax hikes demanded by Obama and the budget cuts insisted upon by the GOP.
What's more, warnings of the Federal Reserve's monetary easing policy (which is intended to counter the fiscal drag created by budget cuts) leading to higher inflation have proven false, at least so far. As the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, the major worry for the world's central banks is the threat, not of inflation, but its opposite—deflation. Neither America nor Europe wants to end up in the position of Japan, which has battled for over a decade to stymie falling prices and a listless economy.
It is Japan, not Greece, that may be the model that everyone should really fear. Both America and Europe, confronted with aging populations and increasingly onerous entitlement programs (Germany's Angela Merkel has backtracked, or at least wavered, on economic reforms, including lowering the retirement age from 65 to 63 for employees who have paid into social security programs for 45 years), face political choices in coming decades that no politician is even eager to think about facing. For now, a form of intergenerational theft is taking place, in which the elderly displace the young economically. Small wonder that confidence about the economic prospects of future generations is low.
Galston notes that a sense of malaise also prevails when it comes to America's status abroad. Polls, he says, depict a "worried, risk-averse people." This should hardly come as a surprise after the misadventures in Afghanistan and Iraq, where Washington expended great efforts to upend those societies, only to see both remain mired in tribal warfare.
Still, there are several reasons to suspect that even if America's best days are behind it—which is always subject to debate—better ones do loom. Galston himself says that we need leaders who "are able not just to artuclate a vision of a better future, but also to offer a credible strategy for reaching it in this ear of polarized politics." But perhaps the inherent strengths of the American economy will also play as big, if not even a bigger, role than any individual. The prospect of energy independence is one sign of a reviving economy. Technological advances could also play a key role. The biggest boost, however, would be if both political parties began to think harder about stimulating economic growth. Perhaps the very pessimism about America's future will stimulate the country to embark upon a new era of prosperity. There's no reason, after all, not to start dreaming about it.
Image: Flickr/Ivan McClellan. CC BY 2.0.
The Democratic Party's Civil War
Don't look now, but the GOP isn't the only party to be assailed by internal divisions. Democrats are facing a similar divide even if it isn't quite as heated as in the GOP. The division is between mainstream, establishment Democrats, who are close to Wall Street (Charles Schumer, the Clintons) and populist ones who are not (Elizabeth Warren).
The most telling evidence of a split among the ranks of Democrats comes in the form of a battle between members of the centrist Washington think-tank Third Way and progressive groups. Third Way has ignited what the Washington Post is calling an "ugly feud" by publishing an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that attacked the new avatar of the left, Elizabeth Warren, and the idea of embracing economic populism. "Nothing," wrote Jon Cowan and Jim Kessler," would be more disastrous for Democrats." Their point is simple: the notion that Social Security and other entitlement programs can be expanded without harming the economy or exacerbating the national debt problem is bunkum.
They conclude,
On the same day that Bill de Blasio won in New York City, a referendum to raise taxes on high-income Coloradans to fund public education and universal pre-K failed in a landslide. This is the type of state that Democrats captured in 2008 to realign the national electoral map, and they did so through offering a vision of pragmatic progressive government, not fantasy-based blue-state populism. Before Democrats follow Sen. Warren and Mayor-elect de Blasio over the populist cliff, they should consider Colorado as the true 2013 Election Day harbinger of American liberalism.
Essentially, what the Thrid Way types represent is a continuation of the Democratic Leadership Council's (DLC) program, which reinvented the Democratic Party in the 1980s and helped to promote the careers of Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Now there is clearly strong sentiment in the ranks of the Democratic party to return toward a more traditional conception of liberalism, based on the conviction that Barack Obama has been much too tepid and timorous in taking on the political right. Politically, this battle is playing out as a potential showdown between Hillary Clinton and Warren. Warren has issued a letter demanding that big financial institutions reveal their contributions to Third Way, the Post reports.
But are these ructions necessarily bad news for the Democrats? Not really. These disputations are part and parcel of a democracy. It can be healthy for parties to reexamine their principles and stands even if the process can be rather messy, analogous to Bismarck's remark about the process of producing legislation being akin to making sausages. It does reveal that the powerful discontent among Americans on either the left and right, whether it comes from Occupy Wall Street or the Tea Party, against corporations and Wall Street is not going away any time soon.
But the notion that discontent is a basis for governing is another matter. Just because these sentiments are passionately and genuinely held does not mean that they are practical or even beneficial economically or politically. The fact is that Third Way has performed a valuable service by calling out the Democratic left. Its criticisms of proposals to expand Social Security and Medicare benefits as half-baked are eminently sensible. There is no cogent reason that the Democratic party should allow itself to be dragged back into the morass it floundered around in during the 1980s before the DLC helped to resuscitate it. To their credit, Third Way's leaders show no sign of being cowed by the campaign of intimidation being waged against them by their detractors. Still, given the levels of hostility being displayed toward business, it won't be easy to overcome them. But if Cowan and Kessler succeed in mobilizing centrist Democrats, they can show that where there is a will there's a way.
Image: Flickr - Mdfriendofhillary.
Greenberg on the Iran Deal
Maurice R. Greenberg, the chairman of the Center for the National Interest and chairman and CEO of STARR Companies, spoke with National Interest editor Jacob Heilbrunn about President Obama's deal with Iran. Greenberg, who fought in World War II and helped liberate Dachau concentration camp near Munich, focuses on the Iranian regime's history of belligerent rhetoric and actions.
JH: How should the memory of the Holocaust influence our view of Iran and its leadership?
MG: I had a special run in with then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who spoke at the United Nations General Assembly in Spetember 2006. He agreed to meet with several members of the Council on Foreign Relations. David Rockefeller was there. Peter Peterson was there. Myself. And three or four other senior members of the Council. The topic came up about the Holocaust. He repeated what he had always been saying. He didn't believe it took place. I challenged him. I happened to be at Dachau. Don't tell me it didn't take place. He didn't challenge me directly. He asked, "How old are you?" As though I was too young to have been there. Fast forward: We're negotiating with them clandestinely. How do you negotiate with a nation that has two objectives that have not been reversed: a) the Holocaust did not take place. b) We should wipe Israel off the map. The new president Hassan Rouhani made some oblique statements, not unequivocal, about the Holocaust.
JH: So should we deal with Iran?
MG: Why would you negotiate until that statement has been disavowed at the highest level? If it was a policy and a lie, the supreme leader has to say "that is not our policy." How can you have a negotiation if that's still out there? They have a new president that made some comments that the Holocaust would have been a crime. A crime! You've incinerated millions of people, and he says "I'm not a historian." You have to be a moron to figure that the Holocaust did not take place. In my view, there should be a public statement that all can see.
JH: Has Obama backstabbed Israel?
MG: He has made it difficult for the U.S. to take a position. Who's going to believe him? I wouldn't rely on his word. He's negotiating clandestinely with the Iranians, knowing what they said as a policy matter. They have no penalties, get some of their pent-up assets from overseas. As I understand the terms, they can reduce and build it back in a week. How do you know what they have going on in any part of the country that we haven't identified yet? How do you trust them? How can we rely on their word?
JH: Should the administration have refused to sign?
MG: I wouldn't have signed the deal.
JH: The precondition for a final deal is recognizing the Holocaust?
MG: Absolutely.
JH: Should Israel be ready to attack? Is the likelihood higher?
MG: If Israeli intelligence turns up evidence that there are things going on that can affect their survival, do what you have to do.
The Real Reason Neocons Are Scared About Obama's Iran Deal
No, it isn't only neocons who are worried about President Obama's six month deal with Iran. Senators Charles Schumer and Robert Mendendez, among others, are also expressing their apprehensions. But for sheer panic it is almost impossible to surpass the alarms being sounded by the neocons.
Former UN ambassador John Bolton is calling the agreement an "abject surrender." William Kristol is decrying it. But the most outlandish criticism appears today in the Wall Street Journal by the redoubtable Bret Stephens. It seems safe to say that neocons such as Stephens have long been guilty of trivializing the Nazi menace by deeming any contemporary agreement with an American adversary a new "Munich." But now Stephens does it explicitly. He declares that Obama's deal isn't as bad as Munich. It's worse.
To accomplish this he has to rehabilitate a version of history that began to percolate in the 1960s in England, when scholars began arguing that Neville Chamberlain had gotten a bum rap. Instead of selling out British interests, Chamberlain defended them. He cut the best deal he could. Britain had few air defenses. The public wouldn't have supported a war. Why not hand over Czechoslovakia to Hitler? Stephens observes, "'Peace for our time' it was not, but at least appeasement bought the West a year to rearm."
Not so fast. It also ended up handing the Skoda arms works to the Fuhrer. A plot by the Germany army to depose him was also in the works. Going to war with the Czechs might well have turned into a disaster for the Nazi leadership. Nor does Stephens explain how he would reconcile his complacent view of Munich with his veneration of Winston Churchill, who forthrightly denounced the agreement.
Stephens' column doesn't really reveal much about Munich. But it is revealing about the lengths he will go to in order to scuttle the prospect of any agreement with Iran. For the neocons the Iran deal isn't Munich. It could be their own very personal Dunkirk.
Absent a war with Iran—which seemed increasingly likely absent a deal—the neocons will be deprived of their raison d'etre. Yes, they can rail about China, which is making dangerously provocative moves against Japan this week. But the Middle East is where the real action is for the neocons. Iran has been a crucial enemy, the central threat against Israel. As its rhetoric continues to indicate, Iran remains a vicious foe of Israel. But in coming months, it is Iran's actions that will be under the most minute scrutiny. The worst nightmare for the neocons will be if Iran does in fact adhere to the agreement with Obama (though they may increase their own visibility in the GOP, though for how long would be an open question). It would deprive the neocons of a valued enemy and diminish their own importance.
If he succeeds, Obama may not only neutralize Iran, but also the neocons.
Image: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H12478 / CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Good Riddance to the Filibuster
The elimination of the filibuster by a 52-48 vote is the political equivalent of the starting pistol for the 2014 midterm elections. Any lingering hopes that both parties would reach a compromise on the debt or other legislation pretty much went up in smoke. Still, there is an upside, at least politically. Both sides can potentially benefit. Each political party can whip up its base with the filibuster issue.
For Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, who didn't wage much of a fight to stave off the demise of the filibuster, it provides a great opportunity to warn the Republican base that 2014 will be a decisive election. It will determine whether President Obama can govern as an uncrowned monarch—ramming through administrative decisions that Congress is unwilling to approve. Getting the Democrats to take the hit for ending the filibuster, at least for judicial nominations, also is a nice bonus for McConnell—if he becomes majority leader, then he gets to reap the fruits of Sen. Harry Reid's decision to go nuclear. There is no reason to suppose that McConnell would reinstitute the filibuster should he become majority leader in 2014. Quite the contrary. As Ezra Klein observes, Republicans may well profit from Reid's manuever:
The electoral map, the demographics of midterm elections, and the political problems bedeviling Democrats make it very likely that Mitch McConnell will be majority leader come 2015, and then he will be able to take advantage of a weakened filibuster. And, finally, if and when Republicans recapture the White House and decide to do away with the filibuster altogether, Democrats won't have much of an argument when they try to stop them.
But how great will the fallout be? Does a nuclear winter loom for the Democrats? Until 2014, they will have a relatively free hand in appointing judges and officials to Obama administration posts. The Democratic base will see this as an instance of Obama and Reid finally standing up to the obstructionist Republicans.
In truth the end of the filibuster may not be as big a deal as it's being painted by both sides.
For one thing, it will make Senate votes more, not less, important since the threshold will now be a bare majority rather than sixty votes. Blue Dog Democrats and moderate Republicans will come under more scrutiny, which means that extreme candidates nominated by presidents would put them in something of a pickle. It's also the case that the fact that the Senate can vote up or down on candidates means that the consequences of these votes will be more directly apparent to voters. Another potential reason for circumspection.
The mourning for the filibuster is misplaced. Both political parties have largely dodged governing responsiblities in holding up candidates for the judiciary. The Wall Street Journal notes that Democrats demanded sixty votes for Miguel Estrada, Priscilla Owens, and a host of other nominees. Well, yes. But that era has had to come to an end. The only other choice is interminable trench warfare.
What's more, the notion that the filibuster could be restored to the genteel traditions of the past is improbable. Once unsheathed, the filibuster has proven a weapon that is impossible for politicians in either party to jettison. Instead, they have used it with increasing abandon. No longer. The filibuster will now figure as a campaign weapon for the GOP in its battle to dislodge Democratic control of the Senate. Now that Reid has raised political tempers even futher with his audacious move, Lenin's old dictum—Who, whom?—is starting to look increasingly applicable to America. Buckle up for a fast and furious 2014 campaign, which will serve as a referendum on Obama's last two years in office.
Germany's Nazi Past Is Back
It won't go away. It's uncomfortable, clammy, damp, noxious. Two events this past week testified to the lingering hold that memories of Nazism have in modern Germany. The further distant it seems, the more it resurfaces.
The first is the discovery that Adolf Eichmann's superior is apparently buried in a Jewish cemetery in the former East Berlin. East Germany, which prided itself as an "anti-fascist" redoubt facing down the revanchist West Germany, never sought to face up to the Nazi past. Instead, it tried to claim that it had nothing in common with the Nazis. So perhaps it should not be surprising that it never really tried to explore what happened to Gestapo chief Heinrich Muller, who participated in the Wannsee Conference which formally authorized the destruction of European Jewry in January 1942. Now Professor Johannes Tuchel, who heads the German Resistance Center in Berlin, says that Muller's corpse was thrown into a mass grave in the Jewish cemetery in 1945.
The second is another discovery. It's that hundreds of priceless paintings seized by the Nazis, often as "degenerate art,"--Hitler staged an entire exhibition of it in 1939 in Munich, only to discover to his consternation that the public actually flocked to see it out of interest rather than contempt--have been residing for decades in the apartment of the son of a Nazi era art dealer. Art was central to the self-conception of of Hitler. Much of Nazism, as Frederic Spotts has suggested in Hitler and the Power of Aesthetics, was a form of stagecraft with Hitler as the impresario of an entire country--the emphasis on Wagner, the torchlight parades, the tours of Weimar, the city of Goethe and Schiller, for German troops, the planned art museum in Linz. The Fuhrer spent much time fussing with his pet architect Albert Speer over their plans for Linz even as the net of doom came ever closer. The failed Viennese painter was convinced that he could purify the German race and conceived of himself as a political artist. Thomas Mann even called him "Brother Hitler."
But the Nazis were also running a criminal enterprise. Looting was a core principle of Nazism. So they stole from the Jews anything they could, down to the gold in their teeth. After the war much of it went missing. Now it appears that the elderly Cornelius Gurlitt had about 1,400 pieces stashed that he had inherited, if that is the appropriate word, from his father. The German government seems to have kept the find secret for over a year until Focus magazine broke the story. So far, the German government is hanging tough in the face of calls to restore the art to the Jewish families or descendants who originally possessed it. Why did it keep mum about the discovery? Protests are mounting inside Germany:
'Transparency and a swift procedure are important here,' Dieter Graumann, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, told German regional newspaper the Passauer Neue Presse.
'We are talking about the stolen inheritance of Jewish collectors, who could now experience delayed justice in (getting) belongings of their families ... returned to their rightful owners,' Graumann said.
Presumably, international pressure will be intense enough to force the German government to back down. Or will it? Germany, the paymaster of Europe, as it is known, is feeling somewhat emboldened these days. Piqued at American spying and proud of its economic prowess, Berlin could remain defiant. For now, it's simply engaging in foot-dragging, which has all along been the German response, by and large, to revelations about Nazi era crimes, at least when it comes to making restitution for them. But the two revelations of the past week are unlikely to be the last ones from a tenebrous era that continues to shadow Germany.
Image: Creative Commons/Wikicommons
Was Yasser Arafat Poisoned?
Poor Secretary of State John Kerry. He's been traipsing around the Middle East, trying to revive—when, incidentally, is it not trying to be revived?—the peace process and assuage ruffled feathers among the Saudis and other American allies. At the same time, the Israeli right, as the Washington Post observes today, is getting more restive, openly denouncing the idea of a two-state solution and calling for the annexation of much, if not all, of the West Bank. Meanwhile, it's unclear whether Syria really is cooperating fully to dispose of its chemical weapons. The Middle East, in other words, remains a hotbed of political conundrums that defy easy resolution.
Now, thanks to the diligent efforts of Swiss scientists, who have been engaging in forensic examinations since November 2012, comes the news that Yasser Arafat, the longtime Palestinian leader who, at least officially, died of a stroke in 2004, may have been poisoned with the radioactive substance polonium-210 (though Russian scientists say they found no such evidence). Polonium is a nasty substance, it almost goes without saying, that can apparently terminate even hardiest soul with great dispatch. (Recall that the former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko expired quickly in Novembert 2006 after he ingested polonium that had been secretly poured into a cup of tea.) The amounts in his ribs, pelvis, and, as the Guardian delicately puts it, "soil that absorbed his bodily fluids," appear to have been 18 times the normal level.
Should anyone care?
Well, Palestinians probably do. A lot. Arafat's wife Suha, for example, is calling it "the crime of the century," which is a pretty big claim given that the century is in its infancy. Many think the Israelis—or, to put it more precisely, the Mossad—did it, which Jerusalem denies. This would redound to the Mossad's credit in terms of its reputation for being almost omnipotent. But there was no great reason for the Israeli government to authorize such an operation other than to exact revenge for Arafat's past depredations.
Who else might be a culprit? Arafat had plenty of enemies inside his own camp. But suspicions about Israeli involvement remain rife. The Guardian notes,
Danny Rubinstein, a journalist and author of a book about Arafat, had a different memory of events. In the weeks and months before Arafat's death, he said, people in Sharon's inner circle talked constantly about how to get rid of him. 'For me, it was very clear from the beginning. Every day this was the topic—should we expel him, or kill him, or bomb the Muqata [Arafat's HQ]. It was obvious to me that they would find a way.'
There is an upside to this story, at least from the perspective of the Middle East. It provides fresh fodder for conspiracy theories, something the region has never been short on. It can now be safely assumed that Arafat's legend will take on a new dimension. The martyred hero, the resolute fighter who never capitulated to the Israelis. For Kerry, however, it is another boulder in the path of a Middle East peace. If Palestinians believe, as many do, that Israel is responsible, they will be even less receptive to any leader seeking to reach a peace treaty.
Image: Flickr/JBrazito. CC BY 2.0.
Winston Churchill Returns to Washington, DC
Winston Churchill returned to Washington, DC yesterday. The former British Prime Minister was the star of the show at the Capitol's National Statuary Hall, where a bust dedicated to him was unveiled before worshipful legislators, including House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority leader Harry Reid. Even Roger Daltrey of the Who was summoned to sing a dedication—"Won't Get Fooled Again"—to Churchill.
It was a rare moment of comity for Congress. Everyone could agree that the old boy was a great man who had sealed Britain's friendship with America at a time of crisis. Boehner called him "the best friend America ever had." Of course America was also the only major friend he had—Churchill was desperate to persuade Franklin D. Roosevelt to assist an embattled England in 1940, when the Nazi empire was at the apogee of its power. Later on, Roosevelt would snub Churchill at the Big Three Conferences—staying at the Soviet embassy in Tehran in 1943 (where he his suite was of course bugged) and trying to cozy up to "Uncle Joe," as he called him, at Yalta in 1945.
FDR was no fan of the British empire. In fact, he saw it as an obstacle to peace after the war was concluded. It was Harry S Truman who probably had more in common with Churchill, at least when it came to dealing with the Soviet Union. Eventually, the Washington, under Dwight Eisenhower, became even more hawkish than the British prime minister who wanted to see if a detente could be reached with Moscow after Stalin died.
Since then, Churchill has become the statesman that American politicians routinely invoke. George W. Bush stuck his bust in the White House. Barack Obama got into a bit of hot water when he removed it—insufficient piety. John Kerry recently announced that facing down Syria on chemical weapons was a "Churchill moment." Neoconservatives routinely use his name to invoke a new Munich—whenever and wherever possible. Whether Churchill would recognize himself in all the fulsome tributes is somewhat questionable. His career was a failure—or would have been seen as one—had the Second World War not occurred. He had switched from Tory to Liberal back to Tory and was widely viewed as unreliable and unstable.
But in Washington, Churchill has become a vital strut in the belief that American is an exceptional nation, destined to bring democracy abroad. Secretary Kerry announced at the dedication,
With so many challenges all across the world today, struggles to be won, pandemics to be defeated, history yet to be defined, Churchill can be heard once again with this bust, asking all of us to define our time here not in shutdowns or showdowns, but in a manner befitting of a country that still stands, as he said then, at the pinnacle of power.
Boehner added that the area around the bust will now be known as the "Freedom Foyer." It's a remarkable tribute to a leader who commands more reverence in America than he does in England itself. At a moment of polarization, he is the one thing its politicians seem able to agree on. He has literally become an idol. In this regard, he has, to borrow the title from his great series of books about World War II, created a new grand alliance.
Obama's Germany Problem
In the novelist Heinrich Boll's The Safety Net, which appeared in 1979, Fritz Tolm, elected to become the main representative of German business interests, feel suffocated by the intrusive security measures undertaken by the state to protect him from harm. His private life is upended. Everywhere he is spied upon. Tolm ends up chucking it all and moving into a vacant vicarage.
It is not clear whether German chancellor Angela Merkel has read Boll's novel and, coming off a fresh election triumph, she does not appear to be tiring of her post. But she is herself familiar enough with the dangers of an omnicompetent state that seeks to spy on its citizens. She grew up in East Germany, where the Stasi gathered so much information about its subjects that it drowned itself in a flood of official records. Now Merkel has once again been spied upon by her putative American ally. The latest revelation in the German weekly Der Spiegel—courtesy of Edward Snowden who remains holed up in Russia (doesn't Obama realize that it would be better to reach an agreement with him and extract him before he does further damage?)—that the National Security Agency has been tapping her personal phone—as well as those of numerous other world leaders—has triggered an uproar.
Together Brazil and Germany are pushing for the United Nations to pass a general resolution in support of internet privacy. Next week Germany and the European Union are planning to send delegations to Washington to institute further inquiries and to meet with the Obama administration. Gerhard Schindler, head of the Federal Intelligence Service, is said to be part of the planned delegation. If they are met with stonewalling, as the Europeans have in the past, relations will fray further. Trade talks with Europe are already being jeopardized.
The scandal has a number of other effects that are prejudicial to America's reputation abroad. President Obama's campaign in 2008 was partly based on the proposition that he restore America's luster after George W. Bush had harmed it. But now it is Obama who is starting to appear as a heinous, or at least mendacious, figure. His administration stated that it was not currently spying on Merkel, but did not dispute that it might have taken in the place, which is another way of saying that it did. Another peculiarity of the spying is that it most likely pointless. What information did American intelligence expect to glean from Merkel's cell phone that would have justified the risks of discovery? What the affair smacks of is a bureaucracy running amok, claiming perks and prerogatives and powers for itself that do not promote national security. Instead, they have harmed it. Merkel herself has termed the snooping a "grave breach."
It's not hard to see why. Germans are becoming increasingly restive with Washington's treament of them as vassals. The cold war is over. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989. But American intelligence services appear to be more active than ever in spying on our closest allies. Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich as well as Merkel have tried to sweep the scandal under the rug in recent months. No longer. Friedrich looks as though he has been taken in by the Americans, at least in the eyes of the German public. The Social Democratic Party, which Merkel hopes to entice into a grand coalition, is taking swipes at her for trying to declare the spying affair over in the past. It clearly isn't. What further revelations might emanate from Snowden?
Whether cooperation between Germany and America will be seriously damaged on intelligence sharing is an open question. But that profound damage has been done to America's image is not. Obama, who entered office as the savior of America's reputation, is harming it as badly as did George W. Bush.
Image: White House Flickr
Is Corporate America Going to War Against the GOP?
The Republican party is becoming too interesting for its own good. While the Democrats savor their victory over the GOP, Republicans themselves are going to war—against each other. A case in point is the growing disaffection of the business community with the Republican party.
It was no accident that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers both warned legislators against crashing through the debt ceiling. The consequences might well have been cataclysmic. In 2008 Lehmann Brothers wasn't seen as critical to the global economy. But when Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson decided to let it go under, investors panicked. When they do, a Great Recession or even a Great Depression results. Confidence is a lot easier to lose than to gain. So a rerun was more than likely this past week. Interest rates would have soared. The value of the dollar would have plummeted. The stock market would have plunged. So would consumer confidence. Around the globe America would have been vilified for tanking the prospects of an economic recovery.
Now corporate America is talking about opposing Tea Party candidates with more moderate ones. This is a fundamental rift over the true identity of the Republican party. William Galston of the Brookings Institution observes supporters of the Tea Party are not outsiders but, rather, form "a dissident reform movement within the party, determined to move it back toward true conservatism after what they see as the apostasies of the Bush years and the outrages of the Obama administration." But now big business wants to stage a counter-reformation—a showdown between what the Dallas Morning News calls limited government, on the one hand, and anti-government conservatives, on the other. It reports that Jim Oberwetter, former ambassador to Saudi Arabia and head of the Dallas regional chamber of commerce, says: "When a populist point of view becomes so prominent, people in the business community need to voice their views just as loudly."
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is apparently examining which centrist Republican candidates it should support next year. The Wall Street Journal reports,
Hal Sirkin, a senior partner with the Boston Consulting Group, said his conversations with executives in a range of industries suggest widespread frustration with the Republican party. The budget battle "is giving them pause to reconsider everything that they believed" about conservative support for business, he said. Some executives have told him they plan to pull back their support for the party "as a message to say, this is not acceptable. You can't trash the business community," he added.
Actually, you can. But it's a foolish tack to adopt. Until recently, it's been Occupy Wall Street that had enjoyed the patent on bashing corporate America. It would be extraordinarily reckless for the GOP to turn its back on its most powerful and wealthy sponsor. The Republican party has traditionally been the home of business interests. But a fixation with short-term deficit-cutting is threatening to obscure the importance of immediate economic growth. The message of the GOP has been long on Scrooge McDuck and short on Horatio Alger. Which is to say that a Reaganesque message of growth, prosperity and initiative has been notably absent.
What continues to hold the Republican coalition together in the House is speaker John Boehner. For all the complaints from the right about Boehner, it's not clear who could succeed him. Furthermore, the Washington Post notes that Boehner's close relationship with the business community is key:
Ultimately, Boehner had to rely on bipartisan support to avoid a likely default on the debt. But instead of this nail-biting episode causing a split between business lobbyists and their GOP allies, it might have drawn them even closer as they seek to limit the influence of tea party candidates who have little regard for corporate interests. After helping to vault Boehner into the speaker role following the 2010 elections, these lobbyists are eager to keep him in charge of the House.
Right now, Boehner may be able to broker an uneasy truce between the two sides whose mutual hostility has become undisguised. But guerrilla warfare and sniping between the two sides is sure to reemerge as the 2014 election begins to loom large. This is good for the media and bad for the party because it means that the GOP will likely remain a fascinating subject of observation.
Image: Flickr/Eric Molina. CC BY 2.0.


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Registration is Open! in partnership with Taglit-Birthright Israel, we are proud to announce that the opportunity to participate in a free, 10-day trip to Israel is now available to more people! Shutafim, a partnership of Conservative youth organizations, has been working closely with Birthright Israel and The Israel Experience to offer USY, Ramah, Schechter, and JTS alumni and their friends the opportunity to travel to Israel - FOR FREE - with a community of peers from other Conservative programs. Kudos, Katie! USY's 2013 Social Action Tikun Olam vice-president was profiled as a JTA Teen Hero. Read more about this remarkable young leader. Schechter Network Receives Grants Signaling a bright future for Conservative day school education, the Schechter Day School Network and United Synagogue have just been awarded nearly $2 million in grants that will allow the day school network to dramatically enhance its ability to strengthen North America's 43 Schechter schools. The grants include nearly $1.7 million in funding from the Avi Chai Foundation for capacity building and programming, and a substantial challenge grant from an anonymous foundation. read more...
A Note from USCJ on the KOACH Program As you may have read, the board of United Synagogue recently made the decision to end funding this year for the KOACH program on college campuses. This difficult decision, outlined in our year-end report, was made because USCJ does not currently have the resources to adequately fund the program. As promised, over the last year we developed an ambitious program for expanding the reach of Conservative Judaism on college campuses, and are currently working to find philanthropic partners who can help fund it. Please read the letter released by our leaders about the KOACH program.
Safety and Security Access a compilation of materials from USCJ to ensure that your kehilla is as secure as possible. We urge you to:
Call your local law enforcement to ask about increased patrols in your area.
Review your plans for dealing with threatening calls or unusual mail or packages.
Review your security training of security and office staff, as well as lay volunteers. Know what to look for and what to do. As always, if you see something, say something.
USCJ offers a number of exciting trips for families, synagogues, older adults, and more. Our preferred group travel provider, ITC, can create custom trips for any type of group. They can plan a trip for your synagogue or arrange for smaller synagogues to join with others so that traveling to Israel becomes easy and affordable. Check out the ITC website to learn more.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Here's a taste of what TheBody.com has to offer on this topic:
Ask the Experts
dog licks penisHi, sometimes, my dog lick a little bit peanut butter on my dick and near of my anus. I would like to know if I could catch HIV or HPV ?? I will never do it again, I promise...Response from Robert J. Frascino, M.D.
The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation
Hello,". . . Sometimes my dog licks a little bit of peanut butter on my dick and near my anus." Hmm. And just how did the PB portion of your PB&J sandwich wind up on your nether regions and why was Toto assigned to cleanup duty?As for...
Read more »
If I superglue my penis shut before sex instead of wearing a condom, can I still catch aids?please tell me what are the chances of getting aids if i do this.... Read more »Catching aids/hiv/std from stripclubHi,I recently went to a strip club. I had a lap dance in vip room. After few minutes she tried to... Read more »
Report: Number of Women With HIV/AIDS in China Catching Up With MenThe number of female HIV/AIDS patients in China is quickly catching up with that of men, Xinhua News Agency quoted a Ministry of Health report as saying Wednesday. Just ten years ago in China, the ratio of male HIV/AIDS patients to female was 5 to... Read more »Ethiopians Know About AIDS, But Don't Think They'll Catch It: StudyAlmost 98 percent of Ethiopians know about AIDS and HIV, but most people tend to think that their personal risk of infection is very low, the east African country's first behavioral study showed Wednesday. "Despite the high level of HIV/AIDS... Read more »The Fight to Catch Up and Start Moving Towards an AIDS-Free GenerationI've never known a time without HIV and AIDS. It affected my family early as my uncle was diagnosed positive before I was born. Even my high school in conservative Bakersfield, California had the AIDS Quilt visit our campus. I entered this world of... Read more »Detroiters in Rush to Catch Up on AIDS FightIn predominantly black metropolitan areas such as Washington and Detroit, HIV/AIDS' impact is high. "Our real issue is that it's spreading at an alarming rate in the black community while other communities have been successful in abating it," said... Read more »
Connect With Others
Can I catch HIV infection this way?
Posted by Anonymous, 4 Replies
I am only 19 and I don't quite understand why I have to deal with this.Perhaps some will laugh at me for my ignorance and deem this post as a hoax, but I really am frightened over this issue and am losing sleep over this. Please, someone try to help... Read more » stds from having your balls sucked/licked?
Posted by team1, 5 Replies
obviously in everything there is a chance? but is there a great chance of getting any STDs from getting your balls and shaft (not the head of the penis though) sucked??thanks Read more » Can i get HIV if i lick a vaginal fluid on-----
Posted by von, 1 Reply
Hi can i get hiv if i lick a fresh vaginal fluid on her underwear
Read more »
licking a prostitute??
Posted by needhelp1111
hi, ill try and explain as much as i can!3 days ago i went to a massage parlour, i had a prostitute that placed a condom on me for oral sex so i know this isnt an issue...but, she also went into the 69 position on me and i did for a few seconds lick... Read more » Advertisement Advertisement
Guides for People With HIV


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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Harvard was stocked up and ready to make a run at its third consecutive Ivy League title. Then came a cheating scandal that cost the Crimson two of its top seniors and, probably, their chances at an NCAA tournament berth.
Co-captains Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry have been scratched from the roster in the wake of a school-wide investigation into whether as many as 125 students shared answers or plagiarized on a take-home, open-book final exam in a single course. Although potential punishments could range from an admonishment to a year away from school, the two seniors reportedly withdrew from school rather than endanger their final season of eligibility.
Now the two-time defending Ivy champions — Harvard shared the title with Princeton in 2011 — have come back to the pack and restored Princeton to its usual spot as a favorite to earn the conference's automatic NCAA berth.
''With the nature of college sports, you're going to have instability,'' Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said in a conference call with reporters. ''You learn to adjust, and that's what we're doing. And those things can bring out magical moments or interesting times, or growth moments. And those are the things we have our sights set on, to think of it in that regard: as an opportunity.''
So far, Harvard's roster shuffle is mostly an opportunity for Princeton: In a poll of Ivy League media, the Tigers were installed as the preseason favorite to win to win their 27th conference title. Princeton was ranked first on 16 of 17 ballots in the poll taken in October, after the Harvard players had withdrawn.
''I don't enjoy seeing it, and I don't think anyone does,'' Princeton coach Mitch Henderson said. ''Despite losing some important pieces, Harvard's still going to be very good. Things remain the same here: The expectations are fairly high, and we're excited to get going.''
Princeton is led by preseason player of the year pick Ian Hummer, who had 16.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last year, when the Tigers finished third to Harvard and Penn. Forward Mack Darrow and center Brendan Connolly will provide Princeton with an experienced frontcourt.
The Tigers tied Harvard atop the conference in 2011 — Harvard's first-ever Ivy title — but Princeton earned the automatic berth for the NCAA tournament in a one-game tiebreaker. Last season, the Crimson broke into The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time ever and won the championship outright to make the tournament for the first time since 1946; they lost to Vanderbilt in their opening game.
With Curry and Casey expected to return, along with junior guard Laurent Rivard, Harvard was the favorite to return to the NCAAs. But the investigation forced Amaker to shuffle his lineups just a couple of months before the season opener.
''This is what this time of year is about: seeing the younger kids come in, and seeing if they can adjust and adapt, the capacity that they have for learning,'' Amaker said. ''We're hopeful that everybody we have will be able to contribute, and certainly with our team this year we may look to different lineups and different combinations that will include younger players.''
Harvard was picked second in the preseason poll, receiving the other first-place vote.
''It's hard for anyone to overcome losing two seniors,'' said Columbia coach Kyle Smith, whose team was third in the poll a year after finishing sixth in the eight-team conference. ''I think people know there's a lot of talent in a lot of these programs. The league will be good, obviously. It wasn't easy for them to dominate the league last year — and they didn't: It came down to the last weekend.''
Columbia broke into the top half of the preseason poll for just the fourth time in school history. The Lions are followed by Cornell, Penn, Yale, Brown and Dartmouth.
Cornell returns 10 of its top 12 scorers from a year ago, including reigning Ivy League rookie of the year Shonn Miller, a sophomore guard. Penn is hoping junior Miles Cartwright can help fill in for the loss of Zack Rosen, who averaged 18 points and 5.2 assists for the Quakers last year.
''I'm not asking Miles to step up and be Zack; I'm asking Miles to step up and be Miles Cartwright,'' Penn coach Jerome Allen said. ''I'm not going to allow (him), and he doesn't allow himself, to be caught up in trying to be someone else.''
Amaker stressed that the Harvard team that made it to the NCAA tournament last year was ''a number of years in the making'' — a result of a system he installed that began to emerge with the development of NBA star Jeremy Lin and led to the school's co-Ivy championship in 2011.
He isn't going to change things just because he lost two key players.
''We believe in our system, our philosophy and our approach,'' Amaker said.
''When you think of moments of exceptional growth or surprises, those are neat stories. We've been a part of some really, really neat stories before, and maybe this is another one that's in our favor.''


text:
Convicted Ukrainian hacker starts political party
Would you hire a former criminal hacker? Better question: would you elect a former criminal hacker to political office?
Credit goes to Brian Krebs over at the Washington Post's Security Fix blog for recognizing that Dmitri Ivanovich Golubov, a 24-year-old from Odessa, has started the "Internet Party of Ukraine." Golubov, whose hacker nickname is "Script," was arrested and even jailed in 2005 in connection with Carderplanet.com, a site that bought and traded credit and debit card credentials. After only six months in prision, Ukrainian politicians convinced a judge to set Golubov free.
What's … Read more


text:
All the latest releases pertaining to matters of federal and state legislation, including proposed, pending, and passed bills. Find responses to legislation decisions from concern advocacy groups, lobbies, and industry representatives, and stories regarding campaigns and initiatives aimed at encouraging or preventing proposed legislation. Also included are related opinion poll and survey results.
The organizations with the most activity in PR Newswire's News Room
Research and Markets Analysts Review ReportBuyerOur 2014 SEC Calendar includes all required SEC filings deadlines and holiday closures


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The Wrestling News Experience: 01.21.13
Posted by
Stephen Randle
on 01.21.2013
A preview of tonight's Raw ahead of the Rock and CM Punk's WWE Title match at the Royal Rumble, plus news and thoughts on Jeff Hardy's travel problems, Randy Orton denying that he's taking time off and more!
Monday, January 21st, 2013
From 411Mania's Canadian offices in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, this is The Wrestling News Experience, with Stephen Randle!
A Subsidiary of Entertainment 7Twenty
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Experience. I am Stephen Randle, warm and safe inside despite the weather this weekend, which has varied from bright and sunny to 100 km winds to (not making this term up) actual thunder-snow. Let me tell you, seeing lightning in the middle of a snowstorm will get your attention.
Also, don't look now, but the Leafs are undefeated.
Give me a break, that's likely the only time I'm going to get that chance. Although…it's a short season, it could happen.
Moving on.
This week, it's the third anniversary of Raw airing in 2013! I agree, it doesn't sound as impressive as 20th anniversary of Raw, but we do what we can. And it's also the last week before the Royal Rumble, and possibly the very last week of CM Punk's 400-plus day WWE Title reign! If so, the champ won't be going down quietly, and with both Punk and The Rock in the house yet again this week, after they had to be pulled apart forcibly last week, one has to wonder if they can manage to even make it to the Rumble without tearing each other apart.
Meanwhile, after they crashed Mick Foley's Hall of Fame induction announcement, it looks like The Shield's enemies might be collaborating against them, as Sheamus, Randy Orton, and Ryback look to have united to prevent The Shield's surprise attacks. Could we see a match between all six men tonight, or will The Shield have something up their sleeves that might affect all three of their opponent's spots in the Rumble match next Sunday?
Plus, as expected, The Big Show invoked his rematch clause against Alberto Del Rio for the Royal Rumble. Can the Mexican aristocrat manage to beat the Big Show a second time in a more conventional match format? And as well, Del Rio becomes the latest World Champion who must always be mindful of Dolph Ziggler and his MITB briefcase. Ziggler is already entered in the Royal Rumble, but he might just decide to jump the line instead.
And Team Hell No, having passed their four month Anger Management review somehow, now must prepare to once again face the Rhodes Scholars at the Rumble. Kane and Bryan earned singles victories over their foes last week on Raw, and earned a win against them in a six-man match on Smackdown, so it seems like everything is currently coming up roses for the tag champs. But with that much volatility in both men, how long can it last?
All this, and maybe we'll find out how much of a Divas division remains, tonight on Raw!
Here We Go Again
I touched on this a little in After Dark last week, but after WWE proved that, at least for a little while, they can actually re-build the tag division and make it meaningful (even if it has lost focus after Mysterio and Sin Cara got sidelined, reducing the star power of the division significantly), I want to come back to the much-maligned Divas division, which once again sits on the precipice of complete and total irrelevance.
To start, I still haven't fully checked, but after losing the Divas title on Raw last week and subsequently exiting WWE, stage left, Eve Torres was at least the third or fourth Divas champion in the last few years to lose the belt only because her contract had expired and she was leaving WWE. Once or twice might be a coincidence, but this pattern of "crap, get the belt off her, she's leaving after the next show" displays a remarkable lack of forethought from WWE Creative, to the point that you have to wonder if they even book anything for the Divas division beyond a weekly "go out and have a match, if we feel like it this month we might create a contender so you can have a PPV slot as well" routine. And when title changes are seemingly mostly motivated by the champion leaving the company, one can't help but assume that they've basically all but given up on women's wrestling at this point.
It's not a decision I can completely blame them for. Outside of a few very specific examples and timeframes, women's wrestling is not a draw. Unlike the other divisions in wrestling (i.e. the tag ranks), it's truly a completely separate entity from the rest of the show, because there is no such thing as matches where men and women fight (aside from the occasional comedy bit), and with good reason. With those two factors, it's hard to understand why WWE even bothers having women on the roster.
I will say that I truly believe, even a year later, that Kharma's pregnancy and subsequent issues royally screwed the entire booking plans for the division. Think about it, they were totally prepared to bring in this one, unique talent who has actually been a proven draw in women's wrestling and who could bring an entire new direction as a believable, badass, giant monster heel, something that WWE has never truly had in the women's division, which could easily have sustained storylines for the Divas for months and months. Then, suddenly, she reveals that she's pregnant and gone for nine months. So you go into a bit of a holding pattern for when she returns, but then, the unthinkable happens and Kharma never actually comes back. So you put all that initial energy into building that character, waited patiently for a long time, and then your net result is nothing.
Okay, so, that brings us up to early 2012, and now they basically have to rebuild the entire Divas division around what's left. The only problem is, due to the holding pattern you were in for 2011, a lot of the Divas got tired of going nowhere and decided to search for greener pastures outside of wrestling. Over the last two years, WWE has lost Maryse, Michelle McCool, Melina, Gail Kim, Serena Deeb, Maxine, the Bella Twins, Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, and now Eve Torres. They have replaced those women with…nobody. They are currently in envy of the Kansas City Royals' depth of talent. Here's what remains of WWE's Divas division:
- Your new Divas Champion and NXT Season 3 Champion (who actually wasn't even booked to be a part of that season initially, but got slotted in after the whole "Aloisia" fiasco), she does have a unique look and average in-ring skills, although she was the designated Divas division face jobber for most of her WWE career until a couple months ago
- Possibly the most experienced female wrestler left on the main roster, she is currently in a non-wrestling role as Great Khali's girlfriend/valet for some reason
- Rarely wrestled even before she suddenly became a huge part of the show, I'm told she's not a bad wrestler, but she's not really an active competitor at this point
- Pretty much a horrible wrestler, even by the low standards of the Divas division
Alicia Fox
- Slightly better than Aksana, but like I said, that's a pretty low bar. Voted "Diva Most Likely To Kill Somebody With Her Finisher", or she would be if such an award existed.
Rosa Mendes
- Finishing off the "Non-Power Trio", she's apparently so bad at wrestling that they've bent over backwards to ensure that she never actually does so, yet she still remains on television.
- Since losing the Divas title to Eve at Night of Champions, I honestly think they've forgotten she's even on the roster.
Tamina Snuka
- Non-legendary daughter of the legendary Jimmy Snuka, she made a "big" return attacking AJ, then they pulled the plug on that feud so that AJ could move away from actually wrestling.
Cameron and Naomi
- Well, technically they're part of the division, although I believe Cameron has zero professional matches to her credit, outside of battle royals.
Not exactly the seeds of something interesting, is it? Frankly, I think the real shame in all of this is that WWE actually has a roster full of excellent women's wrestlers who are skilled, dedicated, and interesting, some of the best talents from all over the world…which you can see weekly on NXT, the developmental show that nobody watches. Seriously, there's a reason why we gave Paige the Women's Wrestler of the Year award for her NXT work. Oh, and you can toss in their trainer, a woman who is considered the best female wrestler in the world (and some would put her pretty high up on a list that didn't contain that extra qualifier), Sara Del Ray, just for kicks.
Seriously, WWE, what have you got to lose? Grab the entire NXT Divas roster and put them on TV. Don't tell me you can debut that many women over a short period of time, back when you were trying to justify the Diva Search you gave a dozen or so mostly unqualified models random TV roles over the course of a couple weeks. At least this time you could do it with actual wrestlers.
My point is, much like the previously forgotten and maligned tag division, WWE totally has the resources to make their Divas division more than a throwaway quarter hour segment that everyone fast-forwards through on their PVRs. The fact that they don't even bother to try is baffling, especially since they're paying all these women anyway. I mean, nobody expects it to fail, and if it succeeds, hey, you have another part of your show that isn't a ratings void. What's the worst that could happen?
Aside from Alicia Fox accidentally killing someone with her finisher, I mean.
- In a recent interview, Jeff Hardy said that one of his goals for 2013 was to perform one of his band's songs live at Bound For Glory. TNA has announced that they will be lowering the price of Bound For Glory to whatever you're willing to pay to forgive them should they allow that to happen.
- Oh yeah, and Jeff Hardy, TNA's World Champion, will be absent from the next four weeks of Impact due to them being taped in the UK. The reason for this, you might ask? Why, Hardy is not allowed to enter the United Kingdom due to his felony conviction, of course. Hey, look, it's another perk to not having a monthly PPV that they'd need the World champion on TV to build for, I guess!
- WWE has signed Oregon State wrestler Clayton Jack, whose name will require absolutely no modification if they know what's good for them, to a developmental deal. The betting pool is now open on whether he becomes the next Kurt Angle or the next Sylvester Terkay. We will also accept bets for "the next Jack Swagger", but you will be required to wait until we can determine what that means before you can be declared victorious.
- At this point, we have no idea if Randy Orton is taking time off or not, because we're pretty bad at this whole "journalism" thing, and also none of us have anything resembling a trustworthy source. Hearsay and conjecture are
of sources, right?
- TNA has dropped their "contract collusion" lawsuit against WWE, possibly after realizing that WWE was going to win, and besides, if they could get Ric Flair to show up at WrestleMania while still under TNA contract, they were going to have even less trouble getting him now that he's a free agent. Is it wrong to find it hilarious that this entire thing basically was fought over the issue of "who gets to make Ric Flair's alimony payments"? I mean, it's not like WWE signed away any of TNA's actual contracted talents to set this whole thing off.
- And a man in Corpus Christi was jailed for selling fake tickets to a WWE house show taking place there. The man was arrested on suspicion of fraud, and also WWE wants to hire him to see if he can apply his methods to help boost sales of actual tickets to WWE house shows.
In celebration of Bully Ray and Brooke Hogan tying the knot this past Thursday (it did end up official, right?), here's my Wrestling Wedding Power Rankings!
1. Edge and Lita
Talk about a wedding that had everything. Snitsky reading a poem in a sleeveless tuxedo, Trish Stratus' Maid (schyeah, right) of Honor Dress (which was only slightly more revealing than the one worn by the bride herself), trolling the audience with Matt Hardy's entrance music, and Peek-a-Boo Kane emerging from the ring apron to Tombstone the priest. Sure, everyone will get mad that Savage/Elizabeth didn't get #1, but much like soap opera weddings, nobody watches a wrestling wedding hoping for a successful ceremony with no complications.
2. Randy Savage
and Elizabeth
I mean, if I weren't a cynical wrestling fan this would probably be the top pick, and at least the reception featured Jake's wedding gift for the couple that kicked off a great feud, but come on, what's with all this talk of "love" and "happiness" in a wrestling ring? It's like they booked it as if it were a real wedding or something.
3. Test and Stephanie
The wedding that pretty much changed THIS BUSINESS forever. One has to wonder, since the entire Test-Steph thing was a Russo deal and they actually re-wrote the ending when he left since nobody knew what he had planned, what might have been had he actually gotten to finish what he started. The mind recoils at the possibilities.
4. Billy and Chuck
I had Bully-Brooke in this spot until the very last second, because try as I might, I can't stop enjoying the reveal on this one. I really wish they hadn't done this as a taped show, because the priest peeling off his Mission Impossible mask to reveal Eric Bischoff was so awesome that it needed to be a live "holy crap" moment.
5. Bully Ray and
Brooke Hogan
Well, at least they finally tied the Aces and Eights back to Hogan (and Bully to a lesser extent) after seemingly forgetting about them for a couple months. What is with TNA once again treating Tazz joining a faction as a big deal? They are aware that the only wrestling shape he's in would be "round", right?
6. Dawn Marie and
Al Wilson
Let me just say, none of this made a lick of sense and the entire thing was physically painful to watch. And I'm not just referring to the wedding, but the entire storyline leading up to it, and also the storyline that spiralled out of it, which all told took the better part of an entire year to finally finish. But at least Al got to die having sex with Dawn Marie. There are worse fates.
7. Kane and Lita
Number one of two weddings featuring unwilling brides, worthy of note due to Matt Hardy losing his girlfriend in a wrestling match, then being unable to rescue her at the wedding, then having her cheat on him in real life so he lost her forever and never really got revenge on anyone in any significant way. I mean, I think he beat Edge one time, eventually, but Edge ended up a multiple-time World champion and Hall of Famer, so I think he might have come out ahead in the end. Also, introduced the world to Kane's Theme As Arranged For Cello
8. Goldust and
Featuring the best priest in the history of priests in the ordained Million Dollar Man, also notable for not being the craziest thing to happen on NXT Season 3 by a long shot, and, technically, the wedding was successful, even if it was a sham to get Aksana her green card and she turned on Dust after the ceremony. He did divorce her after she got eliminated two weeks later, though.
9. Undertaker and
And here's our second bride who would have rather been elsewhere, and while I can't give it a higher spot because technically, Austin interrupted the ceremony and saved her, at least this ended up giving us "It was me, Austin! It was me all along!" which would have been an instant Internet meme had such things existed at the time.
10. AJ and
Daniel Bryan
Another excellent choice in priest, but I do wonder if, looking back, WWE regrets not just going with the whole "Bryan commits AJ to an asylum" angle instead of the inanity that was the GM AJ storyline.
Inactive List as of 01.07.12
WWE Raw
- Evan Bourne, out indefinitely as of March 19th (foot)
- Rey Mysterio, out indefinitely as of December 18th Smackdown (personal)
- Tyson Kidd, out 4-6 months as of January 10th (knee)
WWE SmackDown
- Christian, out indefinitely as of September 1st (elbow)
- Curt Hawkins, out indefinitely as of October 8th (multiple surgeries)
- Hunico, out indefinitely as of November 1st (ACL)
- Mark Henry, out indefinitely as of May 1st (surgery)
- R-Truth, out 1 month as of December 17th (leg)
- Sin Cara, out indefinitely as of December 18th Smackdown (knee)
- No reported injuries
- Chris Sabin, out 6-9 months as of June 14th (ACL)
- Eric Young, out indefinitely as of November 22nd (kayfabe injury)
- Jesse Sorenson, out at least one year as of February 12th, 2012 (spine)
- Magnus, out indefinitely as of November 15th (kayfabe injury)
- Adrian Neville, NXT, made NXT debut on January 16th NXT
- Curt Hawkins, SD!, returned to action on house shows
- Eve Torres, SD!, contract expired, will not re-sign
- Santino Marella, SD!, status uncertain pending MRI results
WWE Champion: CM Punk
- 428 day reign, defeated Alberto Del Rio on November 20th, 2011 (Survivor Series PPV)
- Next title defense: vs The Rock, Royal Rumble PPV
World Heavyweight Champion: Alberto Del Rio
- 10 day reign, defeated The Big Show on January 11th (Smackdown)
- Next title defense: vs The Big Show, Royal Rumble PPV
WWE Intercontinental Champion: Wade Barrett
- 21 day reign, defeated Kofi Kingston on December 31st (Raw)
WWE United States Champion: Antonio Cesaro
- 155 day reign, defeated Santino Marella on August 19th (SummerSlam PPV)
WWE Tag Team Champions: Kane and Daniel Bryan
- 127 day reign, defeated Kofi Kingston and R-Truth on September 16th (Night of Champions PPV)
- Next title defense: vs Rhodes Scholars, Royal Rumble PPV
**NEW** WWE Divas' Champion: Kaitlyn
- 7 day reign, defeated Eve Torres on January 14th (Raw)
WWE NXT Champion: Big E Langston
- 12 day reign, defeated Seth Rollins on January 9th NXT
NOTE: The NXT Title reign only counts what has aired on TV, not when they occur at tapings
TNA Heavyweight Champion: Jeff Hardy
- 99 day reign, defeated Austin Aries on October 14th (Bound For Glory PPV)
- Next title defense: vs Christopher Daniels, January 24th Impact
TNA World Tag Team Champions: Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez
- 99 day reign, defeated former champions Daniels & Kazarian, and AJ Styles & Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat match on October 14th (Bound For Glory PPV)
TNA X-Division Champion: RVD
- 99 day reign, defeated Zema Ion on October 14th (Bound For Glory PPV)
TNA Television Champion: Devon
- 46 day reign, defeated Samoa Joe on December 6th (Impact)
TNA Knockouts Champion: Tara
- 99 day reign, defeated Miss Tessmacher on October 14th (Bound For Glory PPV)
TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions: ODB and Eric Young
- 319 day reign, defeated Gail Kim and Madison Rayne on March 8th (Impact)
has The Wrestling 5&1.
has The Heel Report.
And this week's TWNE After Dark featured a lot of talk about all the things that went down on last week's Raw, from Rock and Punk to Cena and Ziggler, making all stops in between. Also, we look at my favourite Rumble of all time! Click the banner to have a listen!
Also, don't forget to join the TWNE After Dark
Facebook group
411 will have live coverage of Raw tonight starting at 8 pm EDT.
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That's our show, Marsico is in tomorrow, I will be back next week. Also, don't forget 4PC in the Games Zone on Wednesday, and the TWNE After Dark podcast on Thursday, airing live at around 10 pm on Spreaker.com, posted on 411 shortly thereafter.
Here it is, your Moment of Buddy
Wait, What Do You Mean,
"Were You Celebrating The Leafs Winning?"
Buddy Doesn't Watch Hockey.
This Was A Totally Unrelated Thing.
Have a good one, and always be a fan.
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Results 1 to 5 of 5
- Join Date
- Sep 2012
- Location
- North Las Vegas
- Posts
- 57
2002 5.3 Suburban #8 spark plug help
Ok man is that thing a beast to get to. I've done all the other 7 but is there a trick to getting to Mr 8?
What do you have in your garage?
02 Burb Z71/97 Blazer LT
Nuttin but bowties!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joshua T
12-28-2012, 03:19 PM #2You can get to it with the right socket arrangement. Try a plug socket, a short extension, a u-joint extension and a breaker bar.
Others have removed the inner fender liner.Ray
'09 Avalanche LTZ - Black
'05 Envoy XL (sold)
12-28-2012, 03:22 PM #3I wouldn't use a u joint it can apply shear force to the plug and break it off.
1996 Chevy Tahoe LT 5.7L V8 4X4 205,000+ miles. Built proudly at Janesville Assembly in Janesville, Wisconsin
Basic mods: Lights all over, bunch of electrical work, and a couple cooling mods.
Check out my other mods in My Garage: http://www.gmtruckclub.com/forum/sho...t-Tahoe-4-Door
- Join Date
- Sep 2012
- Location
- North Las Vegas
- Posts
- 57
Problem solved, after trying 2 long extensions and a swivel I got upset and tossed on the 1 inch extension just because and bam!!!!!!!!! I feel foolish but my knuckles are busted badly, such a tight spot.
Thanks for the help allWhat do you have in your garage?
02 Burb Z71/97 Blazer LT
Nuttin but bowties!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joshua T
1995 Silverado 4x4
6" BDS Suspension Lift-3" Body Lift-Add A Leaf in rear -Trailmaster SSV Shocks-Duel Steering Stabilizer Kit -AirAid Cold air intake-
4.56 Gears with Detroit Auburn Locker-Pro-Comp Traction Bars with duel shocks-Aluminum Skid Plate Kit-38.5" x 16.5" Mickey Thompson Baja Claws-Constant Dropping fuel gauge
2005 Yukon XL Jet Power Programmer, Bilstein Shocks, Bilstein rear springs, Helwig Anti-sway bars, EGR Window Visors, EGR Hood Shield, Denali Headlights, Headlight harness upgrade, GE NightHawk Bulbs, White Night Rear lighting system http://www.gmtruckclub.com/forum/sho...5-GMC-Yukon-XL
2002 Silverado ext cab 2wd (Sold)
2003 Yukon XL (Totaled)
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What if your clients say they have life insurance coverage through an employer?
By darryl.marshallfb754e
Crump Life Insurance Services
As you sell life insurance to your clients, one of the common objections you may hear is, "I already have coverage through my employer." So how can you overcome that objection?
As we work through the aftermath of the financial crisis in the United States, our clients continue to feel the pressure of deciding how much money to save, how much to spend and where to spend it. As insurance professionals, you know that life insurance plays a key role in protecting clients and their families and truly is a required expense, but how do you convey that to consumers?
A detailed analysis of self-reported financial objectives revealed that Americans typically have just 49 percent of the financial protection they need in order to achieve their financial goals for their families.
This life insurance gap exists despite the fact that more than 80 percent of American breadwinners feel they have enough life insurance coverage, and translates into a median shortfall of almost $300,000 in coverage for the typical American family.
As you sell life insurance to your clients, one of the common objections you may hear is, "I already have coverage through my employer." This may be true, but most clients don't realize that it may not be enough. A typical American holds about eight different jobs between the ages of 18 and 32, and recent research shows that 85 percent of American workers expect to be employed by a new company within 12 months. As such, their coverage can change dramatically over time, depending on their employment situation, resulting in unstable coverage for them and their family.
So how can you overcome that objection?
That coverage may not be portable
The unemployment rate in the United States is more than 9 percent; in some states, such as Florida, the rate is more than 12 percent. Many of today's unemployed felt that they had adequate life insurance coverage from their employer. They also didn't realize that when they left the company, in most cases, that coverage did not go with them. Some company plans allow for the insured to continue coverage, but most limit the portable amount, and generally, the cost of coverage will increase significantly and no longer present an affordable option. As a result, the client doesn't have enough coverage or doesn't have any coverage, or the coverage they do have is too expensive.
When the cost becomes significant and the income stops coming in, many clients begin to feel that life insurance coverage is no longer a necessity that they can afford, and in turn, they lapse the coverage, leaving them with nothing. That coverage may not fit their future needs
Obtaining additional life coverage can protect your clients from unforeseen changes in health. We have seen many of our clients procrastinate when obtaining life insurance coverage, to the point that they realize they need and want it, but cannot obtain it as a result of significant health changes. That health change becomes the catalyst for them to seek out coverage, and we then have to inform them that because they waited, they will not be able to obtain coverage, they will not be able to obtain enough coverage, or coverage is no longer affordable. Many of these clients were under a false sense of security, feeling that the coverage they received through work would be there forever.
That coverage may cost you even more over time
Life insurance coverage provided by employers can be automatically deducted from the employee's paycheck; as a result, most employees don't realize the cost of that coverage. They also don't realize that each year the cost of that coverage increases as they age. For younger clients, this increase may not be noticed; however, as people work longer and retire later, they can see significant annual cost increases over their lifetime. In addition, group coverage doesn't offer credits or reduced costs for good health.
Everyone in the same age range pays the same rate, regardless of factors such as weight, medications, or impairments. When your clients apply for individual life insurance coverage and work through the underwriting process, the better their health, the lower the mortality risk, and thus the lower the premium. As a result, many clients don't realize that there are other cost-effective life insurance coverage options available.
As our clients are faced with the challenges and stress of watching where each dollar goes, they may feel more secure with the life insurance coverage that their employer provides, but they may not be as secure as they think they are.
In all life insurance planning, clients should not rely on their employer coverage alone. It is up to you to help them understand the potential pitfalls of this approach and to overcome their objections.


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The Duchess of Cambridge leaves the King Edward VII Hospital on December 6, 2012 in London, England where she has spent the past 3 days being treated for acute morning sickness. Kate left the hospital on the arm of her husband Prince William.
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Jared Leto Proves That He's Still Sexy – Lainey Gossip |


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Radio Managers: Are You Ready to Fail?
Do you start your work day so worried about failing you never try anything new or innovative? Are you so fearful of what your boss will say or do to you that have just become part of normal? Seth Godin has a little advice for all radio managers, and that is, take a half hour every day, and go out and fail.
The best-selling author's 14th book is called "We Are All Weird." In it he argues the era of mass marketing is over and how we should all, including radio, focus on our tribes. Godin also predicts spectrum will be worthless in 5 years. And, he says radio loves to copy. "That's not winning. That's not poking the box. Radio needs more leaders and fewer managers. Great leaders are people who fail." Radio Ink editor Ed Ryan had a chance to interview Godin about his new book, his thoughts on radio and why people should fail. Listen to it here or download it from iTunes
Listen to Radio Ink Editor Ed Ryan's interview with Seth Godin
Purchase Seth's latest book below.
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Nevada - Reno Field OfficeField Office Director: Monica Toro Acting District Director: Al Gallman Western Region
Service Area Service AreaThis office serves the following counties in Nevada: Carson, Churchill, Douglas, Elko, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Lyon, Mineral, Pershing, Storey, Washoe, and White Pine. TransportationDRIVING DIRECTIONS: Parking & AccessibilityPARKING: There is limited free public parking available in the front of the office. Filing InformationFollow the instructions on the form(s) that you are filing. If the instructions on the application tell you to file the form at a USCIS local office and you live within this service area, please mail your application or make an INFOPASS appointment to submit your application in person. Case Status and Referral Follow-upsIf you want to know the status of a case that is pending at this office, you should first call customer service at 1-800-375-5283. If your case is outside of our normal processing time, as shown on the uscis.gov web site, a customer service representative will ask USCIS to research your case, and we will send you a letter with further information.
Visiting the OfficeIn order to visit this office or to speak with an Immigration Services Officer, you must have an appointment scheduled by USCIS, or you must schedule an INFOPASS appointment on the USCIS website. Attorney or Representative ProceduresIf you are an attorney seeking information at this office, you must make an INFOPASS appointment to visit this office. Naturalization CeremoniesThe Reno Field Office conducts Judicial Ceremonies 1-2 times per month. This office conducts same-day naturalizations for urgent or special cases only. Prohibited ItemsRules and regulations governing public buildings and grounds can be found at Title 41, Code of Federal Regulations, Subpart 101-20.3 and Title 18, United States Code, Section 930. Additionally, this office prohibits:
Last Reviewed/Updated: 05/03/2012


text: I don't think Mark comes back this year and I don't think it will be hard to find a better QB then him. I don't see how we can get worse then the 2nd worst starter in the league last year. DA could be an improvement IMO and he sucks. We don't have to look hard to find a better QB IMO just not what we already have. I do feel that this draft alone will improve us greatly. Even if we only get one good OLB and an OL out of it we will be better overall. I said it a few times I think my 88 year old grandmother could have done a better job for this team the Pace, Scott, Slauson, or Howard. I just can't see us not improving in 90% of the areas we replace this year. Landry being the only downgrade but that shouldn't be an issue with Revis back. Revis and Holmes will be back improving our core and maybe Pouha too. We have a lot of young and improving players and not a lot of aging vets anymore. Really out side of Pouha and maybe Harris I don't think we have a lot of past their prime guys on the team right now. Yeah we are likely to add a few but not long term and they will likely only play roles not be full time starters.


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Daily Blaze Brawl – Green Day vs. Volbeat
<The Blaze Rock MobWelcome to the Daily Blaze Brawl. Where each day we pit two heavyweight opponents against each other on the field of battle. Vote now for your favorite and the winner will be aired at 5:30 p.m. By voting, you will earn 500 Rock Mob points, and also be entered to win a $25 Altered Skin gift card.
Brought to you by Altered Skin Tattoo and Body Piercing.
Today's match up :
Defending Champion : Volbeat "Heaven Nor Hell"
Green Day "Kill the DJ"


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Because we live and play on the ocean, our daily rhythm often changes with the tides! Most mornings are spent in focus groups exploring a week-long topic with the same peer group. Campers leave Blueberry Cove with a connection to their focus and new friends! Afternoons offer "choice time" and the opportunity to follow a new interest and mingle with different campers. Activities include boating, hauling lobster traps, swimming, exploring islands, drama, pottery, gardening, picking berries and baking pies, and canoe trips to the marsh. Evenings are enjoyed as a community and include games like capture the flag, cookouts at Drift-In beach, seaside lobster bakes and campfires complete with s'mores. Campers experience the joy of summer by the sea, learn about community sustainability, coastal ecology and the marine environment's role in maintaining a sustainable planet.
At Blueberry Cove we offer the following residential camp sessions:
Session Dates, Fees and Availability
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Bill Clinton: Green buildings key to fighting climate change
CHICAGO--Fighting climate change requires making the nation's homes, offices, and schools healthier and more energy efficient, former president Bill Clinton told thousands attending the Greenbuild conference on Wednesday. Sweeping efforts to reduce the carbon footprints of buildings, which emit three-quarters of most cities' greenhouse gases, can measurably benefit the environment, he said.
"The sale's been made," Clinton said. "Otherwise Al Gore wouldn't have gotten the Nobel Prize. Now what we have to do is...to prove that this is not a big bottle of castor oil that we're being asked to drink."… Read more


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Kid Finds Weed In Blockbuster Video Game
Because it's 4.20 and I just wouldn't feel right if I didn't make at least one weed related post, some 4-year old found a bag of ganja in a used video game case his dad bought him from Blockbuster. Note to self: don't hide weed in rented video games. Oooh -- and buy more chocolate milk.
Andy Brown, 30, bought his son a used copy of Fight Night Round 4 from a local Blockbuster.
"He'd only been playing the game ten minutes when he came down with the bag in his hand and asked, 'Daddy, what's this?'" Brown told the Sun. "I checked and realized. I was horrified and took it off him straight away.""They should be checking all the boxes before they sell them," Brown told the Sun. "What if he'd thought it was sweets, and started munching away? It doesn't bear thinking about."
First of all, if your kid mistakes a bag of weed for sweets it's your fault for always telling him broccoli is candy. And secondly, you want to know what would have happened if he DID eat it? Not a whole lot, unless he was crushing that shit like Cookie Monster at a bake sale. Ever self-respecting scientist knows the human body is incredibly ineffective at metabolizing ingested THC that hasn't been bound to another fat. Now if he'd rendered the weed in butter and made pot brownies, that would be a whole different story. One that ends with your son convinced he's a boxer in a video game. Been there, done that, amirite? Suck it, Soda Popinski!
Boy finds marijuana in video game case [canoe]
Thanks to shackleford, who once ate 1/4 pound before realizing it was frozen spinach.
This is a couple shots of Geekologie Reader El Gostro's homemade Pokéball themed herb grinder. It's for cooking. Jk jk, it's for grinding marijuana. But probably not the good stuff because then you'd want one with a keif screen to prevent all those trichromes from going to ... / Continue →
No clue, but it definitely helps me get lost as f*** and have to open my map every ten seconds to make sure I'm going the right way. *ahem* Fallout: New Vegas! According to an iffy study by the Groningen Mental Enhancement Department (WTF?) in the Netherlands, smoking the ma... / Continue →
I'm digging the parachute shorts/tights combo, bro. Seen here struttin' that ass at a Renaissance Festival, Shakespeare (personally, I shake a trident) nonchalantly carries his pipe behind a row of porta-potties to get a fix. Aaaaaaand now a group of nutjobs want to dig up an... / Continue →


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Medicare Pay Cuts for Poor Readmission Scores Begin
Value-based purchasing
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act calls for all 3,423 eligible acute care hospitals to receive a 1% cut of their Medicare base DRG payments, right off the top. That 1%, which Medicare officials recently recalculated, is expected to total about $963 million.
The money goes into a pool that is redistributed based on how hospitals scored during a base period and a performance period that ended June 30, 2011. Of the overall score, 30% is based on Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers (HCAHPS) surveys to reflect patients' favorable experience during their stay, and 70% is based on 12 process measures.
Of those 12, seven deal with prophylactic antibiotic and other medications for surgical patients, and five dealing with care for heart failure, pneumonia, or heart attack patients.
Officials for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services say they are still working with the numbers, but a "dry run" estimates that some 1,472 better performing hospitals will receive all of their 1% "pool" funds back, plus up to 91 cents for every $100 of Medicare DRG.
About 534 hospitals will receive their 1% "pool" funds back, but no more.
Comments are moderated. Please be patient.
- Two-Midnight Rule Must be Fixed or Replaced, Say Providers
- The Secret to Physician Engagement? It's Not Better Pay
- Hospital Groups Strike Back at Hospital Rating Systems
- AHIP: Enormity of HIX Challenges Sinks In
- Don't Underestimate Emotional Intelligence
- 4 Reasons PCMH Principles Aren't Going Away
- Yale New Haven Health Partners with Tenet Healthcare in CT
- Evidence-Based Practice and Nursing Research: Avoiding Confusion
- Care Coordination Tough to Define, Measure
- SCOTUS Review of NC Board Case 'A Very Big Deal' to Providers


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92nd Street Y is where inspiration lives and exploration begins—with a diverse range of classes and programs that let everyone pursue what they love. With innovative, top-notch programs, events and concerts, plus over 4,000 classes taught by today's most talented professionals, 92Y has it all—for all ages and interests.
Events range from literary readings, concerts, lectures, single mixers, events, films, and many more.
From people who inspire a world of ideas to entertainers known the world over, find the best minds, brightest stars and most compelling issues at 92Y!
Where the written word comes to life, giving New Yorkers a literary forum unlike any other. Learn more about the Unterberg Poetry Center
Music that puts you on the edge of your seat.
Celebrate dance through electrifying performances featuring today's masters as well as emerging new talent.
Take your passion for the performing arts even further.
Learn about the Ceramics Program Jewelry Center Studio Art Program
Learn about the School of Music
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Learn about the Unterberg Poetry Center
Our state-of-the-art complex is where New Yorkers find healthy inspiration. With our 25-yard lap pool, 100 weekly classes, plus expert training and services, we make fitness fun, flexible and fresh. Learn More
Join the Health, Fitness & Sport eNews
One of the most widely acclaimed Jewish programs in the nation. You'll find a wealth of programs designed to inform and inspire a meaningful connection to Jewish beliefs, teachings, traditions and celebrations. Learn more about the Bronfman Center for Jewish Life
A welcoming and well-rounded resource, providing Jewish education and shared family experiences that engage children of all ages.
92Y is a special place to celebrate Jewish holidays and days of remembrance.
Offering a broad range of services and outreach programs to facilitate personal development, and to help Jewish adults build community connections.
Where parents and children come to learn, explore, discover and celebrate through programs and shared experiences that embrace every age, and every life stage.
YES! 92nd Street Y Gift certificates can easily be sent to another person's mailing address. When asked for additional information, enter in the recipient's name and then add his or her mailing address for delivery.
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Certificates can be purchased and redeemed in person at 92Y, during online checkout or by calling customer service at 212.415.5500.


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BPA. PVC. OMG. If deciphering the list of toxins in plastic dinnerware makes your head spin, take the guesswork out of shopping and opt for straightforward Brinware instead. The new line of tempered glass plates is designed with young diners in mind. Each clear dish is adorned with owls, butterflies, koalas, fish, or pandas and is fitted with a colorful silicone sleeve (pink, orange, green, or blue) to provide extra protection against slippage and breakage — not to mention a delightful candy color. The collection is dishwasher and microwave safe. Matching bowls are in the works. Their arrival date: TBA. Available at brinware.com, $10-$20.Photo: Courtesy of Brinware
A Brilliant Kids' Birthday Party Theme A San Francisco mom chose stripes as the theme for her daughter's second birthday. Find out how she pulled it off after the jump.


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FLOODED OUT: University students sat outside their rental property on Torwood Street in Brisbane, Australia, Tuesday. Deadly flooding occurred when the Brisbane River peaked after rains brought by ex-tropical Cyclone Oswald. Dave Hunt/European Pressphoto Agency
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BIG BLAZE: Firefighters fought a warehouse fire in West Paris, Maine, Tuesday. Paris Fire Chief Brad Frost said firefighters from five communities responded and were warned to be careful of explosives in the building. Chuck Blaquiere/Associated Press
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BODIES FOUND: Residents tried to identify bodies found along a river in Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday. Syrian opposition activists and rebels said that they found the bodies of dozens of military-age men they suspect were summarily executed by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Zain Karam/Reuters
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READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL: The San Francisco 49ers posed for a team photo during a media day event in New Orleans Tuesday for the NFL's Super Bowl XLVII. Gerald Herbert/Associated Press
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STEELY GAZE: Riot policemen stood guard during a demonstration organized by Arcelor Mittal workers in Namur, Belgium, Tuesday. Arcelor Mittal, the world's largest steelmaker by volume, plans to shut a coke plant and six steel-finishing lines at its site in Liege, Belgium, affecting 1,300 jobs. Laurent Dubrule/Reuters
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TEAM ADVANCES: A Burkina Faso soccer fan attended an African Cup of Nations Group C soccer match between Burkina Faso and Zambia at Mbombela Stadium, in Nelspruit, South Africa, Tuesday. Burkina Faso advanced to the quarterfinals. Themba Hadebe/Associated Press
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ON THE VERGE: Protesters used slingshots to launch stones at riot police during clashes in Cairo Tuesday. Egyptian Defense Minister Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said political unrest was pushing the state to the brink of collapse. Asmaa Waguih/Reuters
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FIRE AFTERMATH: Girls cried in front of a makeshift memorial Tuesday outside the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, Brazil, where at least 232 people died Sunday in a fire. Felipe Dana/Associated Press
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FLYING OVER SURF: A participant performed at the Red Bull Storm Chase windsurfing event at Brandon Bay in Ireland Monday. European Pressphoto Agency
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UP AND AWAY: A photo released Tuesday by the Iranian government showed a rocket it said was carrying a live monkey when it was launched from an unknown location Monday in Iran. Iranian state media reported the animal returned alive to Earth. European Pressphoto Agency
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ON GUARD: Bodyguards for Zlatomir Ivanov, nicknamed 'Zlatko the Beret,' carried their boss away from the front of the Supreme Court of Appeal in Sofia, Bulgaria, Tuesday after he was shot during a shootout that broke out ahead of the start of an appeal hearing in a drug gang trial. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
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CONCERN: A woman talked on a cellphone as she sat inside an ambulance near the scene of a deadly plane crash near Almaty, Kazakhstan, Tuesday. The crash of the passenger jet, which was carrying at least 20 people, killed all on board, the airline and officials said. Pavel Mikheyev/European Pressphoto Agency
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SUSPECTS: Malian soldiers stood guard over suspected Islamist extremists in Gao, northern Mali, Tuesday. Youth militiamen calling themselves the 'Gao Patrolmen' capture the four men and were threatening to lynch them when Malian soldiers intervened. Jerome Delay/Associated Press
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NEWBIE: A newly initiated young Hindu monk of the Shri Panchayati Naya Udasin sect put on a turban during the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad, India, Tuesday. Millions of Hindu pilgrims are expected to attend the festival, which is one of the world's largest religious gatherings. Saurabh Das/Associated Press
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BUILDING A NEW LIFE: Men and women built a temporary kitchen in the Zaatari refugee camp in Mafraq, Jordan, Tuesday. Record numbers of refugees are fleeing the violence and bombings in Syria to cross the borders to safety in northern Jordan, overwhelming the camp. Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images
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