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Opper, Frederick Burr
Opper, Frederick Burr, 1857–1937, American cartoonist and illustrator, b. Madison, Ohio. He began as a contributor to comic papers and was associated with Frank Leslie's publications for three years, with Puck for 18 years, and with the New York Journal. His work is characterized by extreme simplicity, vigor, and humor. He illustrated the works of Mark Twain, Bill Nye, Eugene Field, and Finley P. Dunne and wrote and illustrated Happy Hooligan (1902), Our Antediluvian Ancestors (1902), Alphonse and Gaston (1902), and John Bull (1903).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: American and Canadian Art: Biographies


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Pope Francis's Marxist economic analysis reflects the Left's long march through the Catholic Church
Pope Francis's recent "Apostolic Exhortation Evangeli Gaudium of the Holy Father Francis, to the Bishops, Clerk, Consecrated Persons and the Lay Faithful on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today's World" outraged conservatives, most notably Rush Limbaugh, because it attacks capitalism. Even though I trust Rush, he admitted that he was just relying on Reuters when he expressed his dismay that Pope Francis would take on the free-market. I therefore decided to read the Exhortation myself to see if Reuters (which approved of the exhortation) and Rush (who did not approve) were right. I ended up skimming the 224-page document to get a sense of context and to assure myself that Rush was not misled by Reuters and that Reuters was not misled by its own ideology. As it happens, both Reuters and Rush were right.
Before I begin, though, let me say that the Pope's economic remarks are only a small fraction of a larger work that should not be ignored. Indeed, when Pope Francis is not addressing specifically economic issues, the faithful should pay attention to his words if the Church is to survive in a world with increasing competition for people's souls.
Pope Francis points out that these external pressures on the Catholic Church include competition from other religions, as well as pressure from what the Pope describes as a world "pervaded as it is by consumerism," that breeds "the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience." Because of this this highly competitive ideological market, the Pope says — rightly, I think — that the Church must update and adapt its tactics, both among the faithful and to outsiders, while still keeping to its core mission of spreading Christ's words and ministering to his flock.
But what about his Marxist language? Yes, it's there and it's really Marxist. Here are just a few excerpts to give you the flavor:
Just as the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say "thou shalt not" to an economy of exclusion and inequality.
Today everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless. As a consequence, masses of people find themselves excluded and marginalized:without work, without possibilities, without any means of escape.
Human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded. We have created a "throw away" culture which is now spreading. It is no longer simply about exploitation and oppression, but something new. Exclusion ultimately has to do with what it means to be a part of the society in which we live; those excluded are no longer society's underside or its fringes or its disenfranchised – they are no longer even a part of it. The excluded are not the "exploited" but the outcast, the "leftovers".
At one level, these words repeat what the Church has said since its inception, which is that the faithful have an obligation to the poor. What's new, and what cannot be denied, is that the words the Pope uses — e.g., "inequality," "exploitation," and "oppression" — have a definite pink, Marxist tinge. In the next paragraph, that tinge goes full red as the Pope makes an explicit attack against capitalism:
In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.
It's rather peculiar that Pope Francisco says that capitalism "has never been confirmed by the facts." The history of world economic successes and failures should prove all the facts that anyone could want. The countries with the highest standards of living have always been capitalist. Moreover, as I noted in an earlier post, true capitalism has social and economic mobility. In a free market, while poverty inevitably exists ("For ye have the poor always with you," Matthew 26:11), it's a way station for people on their way to greater economic security, rather than an end point. In non-capitalist societies, however, the same families are mired in poverty for generations. This situation reaches its apex in communist societies, where entire populations are mired in poverty for generations.
The Pope doubles down on his Marxist economic analysis when he defends a managed economy as the best way to relieve income "inequality." He seems unaware that economic inequality is not a byproduct of capitalism but is, instead, a byproduct of managed economies with their inevitable "crony capitalism" (which is a fancy word for corruption).
While the earnings of a minority are growing exponentially, so too is the gap separating the majority from the prosperity enjoyed by those happy few. This imbalance is the result of ideologies which defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation. Consequently, they reject the right of states, charged with vigilance for the common good, to exercise any form of control.
There's no way to pretty this up. The Pope is not saying that the best economic system is a free market system tempered by a moral citizenry. Moreover, if he's saying that poor Third World countries suffer from free-market systems, and that these systems explain their appalling poverty, he's just wrong. The fact is that poor, Third World countries don't suffer from an excess of free-market systems. They suffer from corrupt governments, medieval theocracies, and socialist economic systems, all of which use the strong hand of government to interfere with the marketplace.
The laws of economics are both as abstract and as inexorable as the laws of physics. Governments that try to override them only end up perverting their inevitable, implacable outcomes. Icarus soared for a few minutes until his poorly designed wax wings ended in his fatal fall to earth. Government interference works for a few years as it pumps paper money into the economy, or redistributes from rich to poor, but then true wealth disappears and the managed, manipulated economy collapses, leaving a few winners (usually government cronies) and a lot of desperately poor losers. We give our losers welfare, but they're still losers in a system in which true wealth diminishes as the government continuously impoverishes the wealth-creators in our society.
Okay. So the Pope went full Marxist. Why did he do that? I think the answer is a simple one: he's from Latin America. The Latin American Catholic Church went Leftist in the 1950s and 1960s, when it developed "liberation theology." This time line coincides perfectly with Pope Francis's coming-of-age as a Catholic priest.
"Liberation theology" is a pure Leftist doctrine tacked onto Catholicism:
Liberation theology proposes to fight poverty by addressing its alleged source: sin. In so doing, it explores the relationship between Christian theology — especially Roman Catholic theology — and political activism, especially in relation to social justice, poverty, and human rights. The principal methodological innovation is seeing theology from the perspective of the poor and the oppressed. For example Jon Sobrino, S.J., argues that the poor are a privileged channel of God's grace.
Some liberation theologians base their social action upon the Bible scriptures describing the mission of Jesus Christ, as bringing a sword (social unrest), e.g. Isaiah 61:1, Matthew 10:34, Luke 22:35–38 — and not as bringing peace (social order)[better source needed]. This Biblical interpretation is a call to action against poverty, and the sin engendering it, to effect Jesus Christ's mission of justice in this world.
Gustavo Gutiérrez gave the movement its name with his book A Theology of Liberation (1971). In this book, Gutierrez combined populist ideas with the social teachings of the Catholic Church. He was influenced by an existing socialist current in the Church which included organizations such as the Catholic Worker Movement and the French Christian youth worker organization, "Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne". He was also influenced by Paul Gauthier's "The Poor, Jesus and the Church" (1965). Gutierrez's book is based on an understanding of history in which the human being is seen as assuming conscious responsibility for human destiny, and yet Christ the Savior liberates the human race from sin, which is the root of all disruption of friendship and of all injustice and oppression.
Gutierrez also popularized the phrase "preferential option for the poor", which became a slogan of liberation theology and later appeared in addresses of the Pope. Drawing from the biblical motif on the poor, Gutierrez asserts that God is revealed as having a preference for those people who are "insignificant," "marginalized," "unimportant," "needy," "despised" and "defenseless." Moreover, he makes clear that terminology of "the poor" in scripture has social and economic connotations that etymologically go back to the Greek word, ptōchos. To be sure, as to not misinterpret Gutierrez's definition of the term "preferential option," he stresses, "Preference implies the universality of God's love, which excludes no one. It is only within the framework of this universality that we can understand the preference, that is, 'what comes first.'"
As you can see, liberation theology's defining concept is "social justice," which is what all Leftist faiths (Unitarians, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Reform and Conservative Jews, etc.) espouse. The United Nations, in 2006, explicitly defined "social justice" as economic redistribution:
The United Nations' 2006 document "Social Justice in an Open World: The Role of the United Nations", states that "Social justice may be broadly understood as the fair and compassionate distribution of the fruits of economic growth…" The same document reports, "From the comprehensive global perspective shaped by the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, neglect of the pursuit of social justice in all its dimensions translates into de facto acceptance of a future marred by violence, repression and chaos." The report concludes, "Social justice is not possible without strong and coherent redistributive policies conceived and implemented by public agencies."
So no, you're not imagine that Pope Francis is preaching Marxism to the flock. He is a product of his time and place: namely the Catholic Church in Latin America from the 1950s through to the present. The Church there is a Marxist institution and he has absorbed those teachings.
What we are seeing is simply another example of the Left's march through institutions. The Quakers, once pacifists, now promote the Palestinian's genocidal ambitions against Israel. The Girl Scouts of America, once a youth organization promoting wholesome values for children, now sponsors pro-abortion speakers and is basically run by a far-Left drag queen who made anti-woman, pseudo-snuff videos. The Boy Scouts of America now allows gays (showing that, on the Left, its okay if troop leaders or older scouts molest little boys into the future, but it's not okay if priests in the 1960s once molested little boys). Notre Dame, once a bastion of Catholic education in America, now invites Barack Obama to give pro-abortion speeches on its campus. Hollywood, which once was run by patriotic Republicans, now promotes anti-American Leftism throughout the world. And of course, there's the pervasive Leftism that now permeates America's public schools and all of its universities.
When we read the Pope's words, it's important to understand that he doesn't see himself as a Marxist. He is, instead, preaching core Church doctrine as he sees it. The problem is that, while no one was really paying attention, core Church doctrine in Latin America fell victim to the Left's long march through institutions. When Francis was given the papacy, he simply took that ingrained doctrine with him. Now that he is Pope, he's not just spreading Christ's gospel, he's spreading the gospel of Liberation Theology, which he was trained to see as inextricably intertwined with Catholicism itself.
There is no doubt in my mind but that Pope Francis is a truly good man, graced with extraordinary compassion. He loves the Church and does not wish to see it destroyed. The primary purpose of the Exhortation is to allow the church to grow and thrive in modern times.
Given Pope Francis's mission and his goal, it's tragic that he fails to see that the Marxist, redistributive policies he genuinely believes are part of Catholic doctrine also spell the death knell for the Church. Why do I say that? I say that because I defy you to name me one society in the world that managed to be both socialist and communist, and still be genuinely (as opposed to nominally) Christian. To the extent that Christianity, whether Catholic or Protestant, revolves around the individual — his conscience, his soul, his redemption, his relation to Christ, his worthiness to live ("I say to you, choose life") — Christianity is antithetical to socialism, which promotes the collective at the expense of the individual and replaces the individual's conscience with the demands of the state.

subset: commoncrawl


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Cuomo says overhaul of NY ethics needed _ again
ALBANY — Days after federal authorities rocked New York politics with an announcement of more "rampant" corruption cases, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that solutions abound to fix Albany's intractable ethical lapses.
But he isn't releasing any remedies yet in his call for another overhaul of ethics laws and enforcement in two years, and so far he won't order a powerful corruption commission to investigate state politics as his father, Gov. Mario Cuomo, did in 1987.
"The governor will be proposing a comprehensive anti-corruption package that addresses longstanding inequities," said Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi. "These are separate and distinct issues from the 2011 law to reform the operations and oversight of state government."
Cuomo in a radio interview didn't say how his new overhaul would be different from his ethics reform two years ago, or other ethics reforms four years before that.
Those who have regulated state government say the latest rhetoric follows a pattern over decades following scandals where, despite numerous press announcements, reforms came up short.
The former state ethics and lobbying watchdogs say Albany continues to avoid focusing on the root causes of corruption. The regulators said in interviews that Albany must break down political hurdles so people can run for office without making concessions to party bosses, and state officials must begin to report suspicious behavior of colleagues.
Former state ethics board Executive Director Karl Sleight said that in his experience it was "very unlikely" that a state official would report concerns about another state official's ethical behavior.
"It's a collegial environment," said Sleight, who led the 2006 investigation into former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi that resulted in one of Albany biggest corruption convictions. "They all go through the same political battles of getting themselves on the ballot. There's a certain collegiality that develops, and I think it transcends party labels.
"The larger issue is how to attract quality candidates with the right moral compass and improving ballot access for those people," Sleight said.
He said public-spirited citizens can be dissuaded from politics if they are first required to make donations to party bosses, diminishing the pool of top candidates.
"At the end of the day, crooks are crooks," Sleight said. "It doesn't matter what ethics law you pass. If you are willing to take a bribe, you take a bribe."
The former state lobbying executive director said governors and legislatures focus on new ethics laws in press conferences, while the small stuff that foster what Cuomo as attorney general had called a "culture of corruption" goes untouched.
"It starts with gateway violations, just like drugs," said David Grandeau, now an attorney representing lobbying clients.
He said the culture is fostered by routine abuse of legislators' "per diem payments, friends and family on the payroll, abuse of campaign funds for non-campaign purposes, and they go from there."
Grandeau blames his frequent target, the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics created under Cuomo's ethics overhaul two years ago, which replaced another board created four years before under the ethics overhaul of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
"That's why these guys do it. They get away with it," Grandeau said. "This is the governor's responsibility."
Cuomo said he's had private discussions with legislators on his ideas.
"It's very hard to do it piecemeal ... the better way to do it is to reform the overall system," Cuomo said Monday. "Even good people in the system will say the system doesn't work."
He said ordering a corruption fighting commission under the Moreland Act, which he threatened the Legislature with two years ago but didn't implement, is just one of several issues he's exploring.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara last week charged state legislators in two separate bribery cases. The arrests came two days after federal authorities arrested a state senator in an alleged plot to bribe his way into the New York City mayor's race. Since 2004, two former Senate majority leaders and nine legislators and high-ranking executive branch officials were convicted on corruption charges.
"We could all write a treatise on what needs to be done," Cuomo said. "It's not like we don't know the ideas."
He blamed the power of county party chairmen to decide who gets on the ballot for state offices, "absurd" amounts of cash that can be legally donated to politicians and parties, and a decades-old law that allows political parties to cross-endorse candidates, which "just lends itself to political deals."
In 1987, then-Gov. Mario Cuomo appointed a powerful Moreland Commission to investigate ethics and campaign financing. It resulted in 20 reports to bolster outdated and inadequate campaign and ethics laws, many of which resulted in no legislation.
"It would be a sad commentary on the history of these times if New York state ... were to squander the opportunity for meaningful reform," stated the commission's chairman, John Feerick of Fordham Law School.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.


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Your 'Food Porn' Verdict? Keep The Photos Coming
Snarky comedians who mock people who share food photos on Facebook and Twitter (see this video) may be good for a chuckle, but they don't have the will of the people behind them.
That's what we've learned from our online survey this week, which asked: "Are your friends bombarding you with 'food porn'?"
Of the 9,000 people who voted, about 47 percent responded with a resounding, "No!" It seems this group enjoys seeing what their friends are eating and cooking. And we'd wager (based on our unscientific survey of comments and tweets) that many of them are snapping photos themselves.
Still, it seems there is a pretty healthy contingent of people who are fed up with food photo sharing — some 28 percent of respondents. And another 25 percent of you said you don't feel that strongly one way or another.
TreenaClark, who commented on our post, gave voice to the dissenters: "It drives me nuts when I go to Sunday brunch and there will be somebody in my coterie taking photos of all the drinks and dishes as they get served," she writes. "My husband and I enjoy long leisurely meals, wine and conversation with friends. But the food porn gets in the way all the time."
As for those in the pro-food porn category, one reader and writer,
Michelle Venetucci Harvey, helped us understand what these photos mean to her in a nice post on her blog Spinning Spoons.
Venetucci Harvey has celiac disease, which can make dining out and cooking at home a struggle given the wheat-filled world that we live in. She writes:
When I would get frustrated that I couldn't eat somewhere, or didn't know what to eat, all I had to do was envelop myself in an online community bursting with inspirational photos, stories, and flavor combinations.
So I started cooking, and taking photos of my food. I also realized that the more I talked about food and flavors, the more I could appreciate the food I was eating. The same went for photos - the more I was able to create aesthetically pleasing arrangements and color combinations, the better the food seemed to taste.
JustAnnie, another commenter, distinguishes between worthy and unworthy food porn. "If it's actually really pretty food, I don't mind," she writes. "It's when they start posting their morning bowl of Corn Flakes that I start hiding people [on Facebook]."
claireOOTO wrote this for the food porn opponents: "If you don't want to look, don't look! Surely the ability to ignore unwanted messages on various social media is one of our evolutionary adaptations."
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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There are days when magnolia blossoms feel like offerings, hands pitched in prayer. The petals are smooth as expensive leather, not out of place at all as the material needed for a Parisian lady's handbag.
Vintage pink. Classy. Not too bright. As if flecked ever-so-subtly with the tiniest shades of grey.
There is comfort to be had in such blossoms.
My sister, from whom I've been on an emotional roller coaster ride with for the past few years calling me at 3AM, saying:'I'm struggling. Please come" and me getting in the car when the streets are purple black and driving to her without hesitation. It feels good to have her turn to me, it feels good to know I can do something to help because for so long the most meaningful discourse we have had has been akin to strangers at the bus stop discussing the weather.
Her husband – the dirty rat – in jail but still able to rattle her as if he is some kind of mob boss. Hiring a dirty huckster criminal lawyer to hit her with a barrage of bogus charges. They renovated their house during their marriage. Spent over two hundred thousand dollars on new kitchens and bathrooms with toilets that flushed automatically. Now he wants the money back saying she coerced him into renovating. Her personality also made him drink to excess and caused him to abuse her. He says he is an alcoholic because of her. I don't take the charges seriously. They are so ludicrous I cannot even believe that someone with an actual law degree would consider them legitimate.
But I see my sister's face, pinched and worried and know the fact that she is taking them seriously is enough of a reason to say nothing. Is enough of a reason to be there.
The lawyer has been calling my sister, harassing her, telling her she will go to jail too if she doesn't pay back the renovating money. She calls at 8AM, ranting. My sister crumples, cries like she did when she was a little girl, covering her face with her hands. I am distraught. I am angry. I ring the lawyer back and tell her if she calls again I am calling the police. That she is a charlatan. I call the Law Society and report her. They already have ten complaints against her. She doesn't call back, hasn't called back.
I make French toast. My sister eats it all. She seems better. As she dabs at the corner of her mouth with a crinkled serviette I am reminded exactly of why I love her.
We walk. All day. Looking at clouds. Listening to birds. Smiling at children on red tricycles. It is calming and healing.
At every corner we see a magnolia tree in blossom. It is as if George and Ira Gershwin have written a song about every garden in the street. We find a tree with enormous blossoms in deep, soothing pink. It is a luxurious sight. We sit on the kerb, watching as the dusk tinges the blossoms blue. It is like seeing the curtain close at the end of a symphony.
We are drawn from the stark edge of day to the hush of evening. The magnolia blossoms lean close to one another…as do we. Untroubled, savouring the shadows, together.


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Astute learners will tell you that often life's best lessons are learned outside of the classroom. While this is usually based on learning that comes from our own successes and failures, watching how other people live their lives, make choices, and then deal with the rewards or consequences can save us a plethora of hardships.
Every day I encounter incredible teachers, the wisest of these tend to be my hospice patients. The end of life offers a unique perspective, allowing the patients who are willing and able, to look back and reflect on their decisions, thus offering those listening a chance to learn from their insights.
Of course, at the end of life, most people deal with grieving and questioning the whys. But there are other topics that come up so frequently, it's as if life is shouting 'pay attention to this, this is important'. The most common of these, is in the area of regrets.
While many of us regret things every day, like saying the wrong thing, or eating too many calories, or putting off something we should have done, these are not the type of regrets that people who are dying talk about. They mention things like regretting being at work so much, being away from their families too much, being too hard on their children, not taking more vacations, not being more generous, or holding a grudge too long. Though sometimes people will regret that one wrong decision, most regrets are built more on life values and the sum of their time.
What I have learned at these bedside classrooms comes also from what is not said. Never once have I heard someone say they think they hugged their children too much, or took too many trips to the park. No one laments that they said I love you too often, or wasted too many meals with friends. I haven't heard proclamations of donating too much money or laments of volunteering too many hours. I can tell you not one person has uttered a regret of forgiving someone, or wished they would have cared more about what other people thought of them.
This doesn't surprise us, does it? When people who are nearing the end of their life look back, they begin to reevaluate what really matters. Over and over again this boils down to very simple things; loving the people in our lives really well by being intentional, compassionate, generous, forgiving, available, trustworthy, and kind. It's about where we put our focus, our time, our resources, our energy, and ultimately ourselves.
While it's universal for these truths to become crystal clear when the reality of time running out is before us, we don't have to wait that long. By sharing their regrets, those who are dying are trying to save us from their mistakes. Will we listen to what is said, and what is unsaid? If we do, we can become wise to the important things of life; making decisions about how and where we spend our time and energy, keeping in mind that one day we'll look back on our lives, and hopefully we'll have no regrets.


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Earlier this month, we, along with colleagues at Mount Sinai Medical Center and FAMRI, published and presented the findings of research seeking to understand any connections that might exist between exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke and coronary artery calcification ("hardening" of the arteries that allow blood to flow to the heart).
This study found that there is, in fact, a clear connection between how much exposure one has to secondhand tobacco smoke, and their likely amount of coronary artery calcification. You can read our press release for more information on our findings.
We are very happy to see that media outlets around the world have picked up this story and shared our results with their audiences. Here are a few online sources for additional commentary:
- Science Daily: Secondhand Smoke Exposure Linked to Signs of Heart Disease: Exposure to Tobacco Smoke May be More Dangerous Than Previously Thought
- US News and World Report: Secondhand Smoke Linked to Early Heart Disease, Study Finds
- Medpage Today: ACC: Secondhand Smoke Increases Coronary Calcium
- Medpage Today: Secondhand Smoke Riskier than Cholesterol
- JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging: Second-Hand Tobacco Smoke in Never Smokers Is a Significant Risk Factor for Coronary Artery Calcification
- ZeeNews: Beware nonsmokers! Secondhand smoke can trigger heart disease
This research was funded by the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute (FAMRI), and is ongoing. Click here to learn about our work with FAMRI, and whether you might qualify for a free low-dose lung CT scan.


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10/21/2017 Liebherr-Hausgeräte wins German Design Award 2018
Liebherr-Hausgeräte has been awarded the German Design Award 2018 by the German Design Council. This is among the most prestigious design competitions in the world and is highly regarded both within industry circles and beyond.
"We are delighted that the renowned jury has bestowed this award on our equipment. We see it as confirmation of our constant striving to manufacture innovative refrigeration and freezer units which not only impress through their functionality and convenience, but also fulfil the highest design ambitions and thus set standards", commented a delighted Günther Sproll, Marketing Manager of Liebherr-Hausgeräte Ochsenhausen GmbH, on the award.
The title of "Winner" for outstanding design quality honours works whose visual design and conception contain particularly successful aspects or solutions – it is an award that acknowledges the commitment of both the company and its designers to excellent design. The BluPerformance BioFresh refrigeration and freezer combinations CBNies 4858, CBNi 4858, CBNP 4858, CBNPes 4858, CBNPbs 4858, CBNigw 4855, CBNigb 4855, CBNPgw 4855 and CBNPgb 4855 were able to fulfil the high expectations of the jury and were rewarded accordingly with the German Design Award 2018.
The explanation of the jury stated: "The technologically advanced refrigeration and freezer combinations of the BluPerformance series impress with a variety of useful functions, which not only ensure that a wide range of foodstuffs can be stored under optimal conditions but also provide maximum operating comfort for the user. The models also operate at pleasantly low noise levels."
The German Design Award has been awarded annually since 2012 to competition entries from the field of product and communication design. The awards ceremony for the 2018 awards will take place in February during the course of the Ambiente trade fair in Frankfurt.


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In college, a friend told me about what he called the "Lost Wallet Syndrome." "No matter what's happening in your life," he explained, "if you lose your wallet, you think, How happy I would be if I could only find my wallet! I'd be happy forever! But when you find it, you're happy for about two minutes, and then you're right back where you started."
Far too often, it takes a catastrophe to make us appreciate what we had. For that reason, one of the central aims of my happiness project is to appreciate what I have, now, while I still have it. I've long been haunted by the words of the French writer Colette: "What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner." That quote is why I've been working hard at finding happiness in the small, ordinary details in life and appreciating the adventure of everyday existence.
Multiple studies have shown that gratitude is key to a happy life: People who cultivate gratitude get a boost in happiness and optimism, feel more connected to other people, are better liked and have more friends, and are more likely to give help to others. They even sleep better and get fewer headaches! Also, I've found that when I consider my reasons to be grateful, the positive feelings tend to crowd out negative emotions such as irritation and resentment.
More From Good Housekeeping
I have so much to be grateful for that it seems utterly preposterous that I need to remind myself to be grateful — but I do. When things take their ordinary course, it's easy to take everyday life for granted.
Though I wanted a sense of thankfulness to permeate the atmosphere of my home, I found it challenging to cultivate. It was too easy to fail to appreciate all the things I was grateful for — from pervasive, basic things, such as democratic government, air-conditioning, and diet soda to major personal aspects of my life, such as my family's good health and my children's happiness at school. It's all too easy to overlook seemingly minor but satisfying joys like a sunny morning or the fact that my husband has cleaned up the kitchen. In fact, studies show that married couples treat each other with less civility than they show to other people — and I do this with my husband, I know. So I've begun trying to make a conscious effort to voice my gratitude when he makes me happy, and not to speak in a snappish tone when something he's done has irritated me.
Keeping my thoughts at gratefulness level isn't a snap. I struggle to remember to stop at the drugstore to buy toothpaste, so it's a challenge to remember to cultivate a grateful spirit as part of my daily routine. To help, I've developed a few simple rituals. For instance, every time I sit down at my computer, I think, How happy I am to be back at my computer, doing the work I love. Now I've added a second part: How happy I am to be here, doing the work I love, on a computer that's working properly.
I recently added another habit to remind me of my gratitude for my dear ordinary life: my "threshold ritual." In order to get into my apartment building, I have to turn off an alarm and unlock two doors, which takes a bit of time. Now, I use this action as a cue to remind me, How happy I am to be crossing this threshold and to be returning to this family and my cozy home.
Along the same lines, I have a gratitude ritual related to my physical health. Last year, for several months, I had persistent back trouble. It wasn't terrible, but it was constant, and it made any movement either uncomfortable or painful. Nowadays, whenever I go for a long walk or go to the gym, I think, How grateful I am to have a body that is healthy and pain-free. Bodies can be such a source of dissatisfaction; that backache made me much less critical of the imperfections of mine.
Thanksgiving is a natural time for us to think about gratitude. But it also gives us the chance to hit Reset and make an effort to add bits of thankfulness into everyday life. Do you find it hard to remember to appreciate the basics? What strategies do you use to keep yourself in a grateful frame of mind? For instance, giving thanks before meals is one of the most universal ways of incorporating gratitude into everyday life. What are other methods you've found? E-mail me at firstname.lastname@example.com. I'm grateful for all the readers who write to me! And for a daily moment of happiness, sign up for a free newsletter at happiness-project.com.
Happiness Thought for November
"Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." —Robert Brault


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Last week the New York Yankees offered free agent CC Sabathia a contract worth $140 million over six years. Sometimes when I hear about baseball contracts, it's just a flurry of numbers: Millions and years, incentives and more millions. But this offer…yow. That's a ton of money, Holmes.
If Sabathia accepts these boatloads of cash, what could he do with it all?
With $140MM, CC Sabathia could buy:
- 54 million loaves of bread.
- 32.6 million Baconators.
- Pretty much any home in America, except the former dwelling of William Randolph Hearst. Random.
- 5283 kilos of cocaine in New York.
- Each of these 10 most expensive cars available…times 22.
- The Phoenix Coyotes…almost.
- The expected contracts of all of the 2009 Royals, including free agent signings that haven't happened yet, twice.
- 28 million Subway footlongs.
- 1866 of this Lou Gehrig print, which is 75 grand for some reason.
- My tuition, plus housing, for 10,000 years.
I can't imagine having that kind of money. Heck, most of the time I can't even imagine having enough cash to go to a movie or dine out any place with no dollar menu. (As a disclaimer, I *know* ballplayers don't get paid in lump sums. Duh. So don't even go there.)
That last item just makes me sick – real people are fledgling and floundering through a legitimately scary economic downturn. Paying for school was going to be hard enough before the shit hit the fan this year, and it's only going to get worse (I think). Yet a guy who plays baseball as a job could easily pay for my entire college career without even noticing the money was gone. [/soapbox]
What would YOU buy with $140 million?


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Dec. 18, 2012 — -- A life-sized she-puppet continues to stir controversy in Puerto Rico for statements she made two weeks ago on the island's highest-rated show, SuperXclusivo. And after suggesting to The New York Times on Monday that La Comay's days may be numbered, José E. Ramos, the president of WAPA TV, which airs the show, says the puppet is here stay.
"No, WAPA is not considering canceling SuperXclusivo," Ramos told ABC/Univision. "I told The New York Times that, naturally, we do think about both the benefits and consequences of the program and we take the accusations leveled against the show very seriously."
However, Ramos says that the puppet, which is voiced by a "Kobbo" Santarroso, will only continue her reign as queen of Puerto Rican news and gossip if she makes a few adjustments.
"We will be implementing changes in oversight of the show that will ensure that offensive or inappropriate language is not used," he said. The network also says it will launch an anti-violence campaign to help police solve unsolved crimes on the island.
A movement to boycott the show grew quickly after the puppet made controversial comments regarding the brutal murder of 32-year-old José Enrique Gómez Saladín earlier this month. The boycott's Facebook page gained more than 73,000 Facebook fans in about a dozen days, and the group has pressured nearly 40 companies, including AT&T, Walmart, Ford, Coca-Cola, and Chevrolet, to cut ties with the show or pull their advertising.
After Ramos called the advertisers' decision to pull ad time "emotional" almost two weeks ago in an interview with Metro, dozens more advertisers have followed suit. Ramos' tone has since changed.
"We respect the decision by some advertisers to suspend advertising on the show; however, the majority of the public continues to support this show, as evidenced by our increase in ratings," he said.
The show's boycotters say their movement has caused the show to drop a few points in its Nielsen ratings over the past weeks, despite WAPA's claims that they have been better than ever. A WAPA spokesperson said that the recent drop in the last few days is because the network has been playing reruns since December 12th, and not because of the boycott. The network's spokesperson also said that SuperXclusivo has remained the most popular show on television for households throughout the boycott.
Nonetheless, Ramos wants to apologize to those offended by La Comay's insinuation that Gomez's murder may have been partially his own fault for being present in an area known for prostitution.
"We sincerely regret if comments made on the show are ever taken out of context or misinterpreted to be deliberately hurtful," he told ABC/Univision. Earlier this month, La Comay also offered her own apology, saying that she was simply repeating a story which originated in other news outlets.
But, the shows' critics say this just isn't enough. Pedro Julio Serrano, a spokesperson for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force says that "sorry if we offended you" isn't a "real apology."
"It's like a half-apology, it says, if someone felt offended then we apologize," Serrano said. "That's not accepting responsibility for more than 15 years of defamation, of xenophobic, homophobic, and racist attacks that have come from their show."
While the comments regarding the brutal murder of 32-year-old José Enrique Gómez Saladín set off the controversy, critics say that this latest episode was just the final straw. Categorized as an entertainment show by WAPA, SuperXclusivo often pokes fun at public figures and puts its own spin on stories in the news.
But, detractors say the show often crosses a line. In her controversial history, La Comay has repeatedly used the derogatory Spanish slang word "pato" to refer to gay people, she has tried to "out" prominent figures she thinks are gay, she has poked fun at a local newscaster for her weight (asking if she had swallowed a basketball), and she has called a black person a "monkey," as The Huffington Post reported on Monday. When challenged for her statements, La Comay has frequently responded that she is joking around. And in rare instances, La Comay has apologized for offending members of her audience.
However, Serrano says such apologies only come when the station's financial interests are threatened and that little changes on the show after they say sorry.
"[The apologies] are made to try to control the damage," Serrano said.
But as the boycott grows, and as big companies continue to pull their ad dollars, another pro- La Comay movement has grown on Facebook, with nearly 14,000 members, so far. As members of the boycott gathered outside of the WAPA on Friday evening, so too did pro-La Comay protesters, all holding printed signs that had messages of support for the show. The gathering was reportedly sponsored by a man named Jorge Claudio, who chartered buses and a professional-grade speaker system. Two planes were also hired to fly above the island with messages of solidarity. Claudio denied allegations that he had paid protesters, many of whom were teenagers, to show support for the show, according to a report by Primera Hora.
Serrano suggested that WAPA was either directly or indirectly involved in organizing the event, due to the scale of Friday's arrangements. But the network adamantly denies these claims, maintaining that they are unaffiliated with Claudio.
"WAPA is very grateful for the support though," their spokesperson wrote in an email.


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Alcatel-Lucent lost another round against Microsoft on Thursday in a continuing court battle over patents for the MP3 digital music format.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., upheld a ruling denying Alcatel-Lucent a US$1.5 billion award from Microsoft. The amount would have been one of the largest-ever awards for patent infringement.
In February 2007, a jury ordered Microsoft to pay Alcatel-Lucent the money for infringing on two patents covering MP3 encoding and decoding technology.
But the decision was reversed in August 2007 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in San Diego after a judge found Microsoft was guilty of infringing on one patent.
The judge also ruled the court had no jurisdiction over the other patent since its co-owner, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft — a German research organization — did not join the suit with Alcatel-Lucent. That decision was upheld Thursday.
Microsoft maintained it properly licensed the technology, which is used to reduce the size of music files but preserve audio integrity, from Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft for $16 million.
Alcatel-Lucent spokeswoman Mary Ward said Friday the company was "disappointed" but had not decided whether to appeal.


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Captains' diary sheds light on 'Jobu' night
Neil Stein has worked in Minor League Baseball for the past 15 seasons, the last seven of which have been spent as Lake County Captains assistant general manager. During his time with the Captains, the Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, Stein has been involved in planning and executing hundreds of promotions. But, by his own admission, no promotion was more memorable than the one that took place Aug. 1.
That evening, the Captains combined their annual "Cleveland Sports History Night" promo with a wide-ranging 25th anniversary salute to the 1989 comedy classic Major League. The night's much-coveted giveaway was a Jobu bobblehead, and actor Chelcie Ross, who played junk-baller Eddie Harris in the film, threw out a first pitch.
Between-innings games and contests referenced Major League in a variety of ways, while a small army of Cleveland sports celebrities signed autographs on the concourse.
The successful staging of such a promotion requires both creativity and coordination, as there are innumerable moving parts to contend with. In order to shed light on the Minor League Baseball promotional planning process, Stein has written a journal that details the work done by his staff and him in the week leading to Aug. 1's promotion. What follows is part one of a series. Part two, appearing on Ben's Biz Blog, can be found here. Part three will appear on the blog on Monday.
The "Calm" Before the Storm: Planning 2014's Promo of the Year, by Neil Stein (assistant general manager, Lake County Captains)
The Genesis
A huge part of the Minor League Baseball offseason involves planning promotions for the following season. Last October, our Lake County Captains front-office staff and the staff from our sister team, the Lancaster JetHawks, had a multi-day training and brainstorming session here at Classic Park to plan for the 2014 campaign. Little did we know that this session would lead to something monumental.
We discussed many ideas during these meetings, but only a handful made the cut. At one point I mentioned that 2014 would mark the 25th anniversary of the movie Major League. Everyone began thinking for turning this into a theme night for the Captains. After all, we are the Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians (the team featured in the movie) and operate within the greater Cleveland area. We discussed actors from the movie and what they were doing currently, as well as how different scenes could be incorporated into a theme night. During our discussion I vividly remember saying, "Wouldn't it be awesome if we could give out Jobu bobbleheads?" The room erupted! (For those whose Major League memory is murky, Jobu was a wild-haired doll worshipped as a god by outfielder Pedro Cerrano).
The ideas began flowing freely from there, culminating with us deciding to combine our annual Cleveland Sports History Night with a Major League 25th anniversary tribute featuring the Jobu bobblehead giveaway. Now, let's fast forward nine months, until we were just one week away from this event. Many hours had already gone into the planning, such as working with [bobblehead manufacturer] Alexander Global to design the Jobu bobblehead, booking celebrity appearances, and coming up with in-game promotions. Now, it was time for the real fun to begin.
Friday, July 25
Exactly one week prior to giving away the Jobu bobbleheads, we held a "Christmas in July" promo at Classic Park which included our first bobblehead giveaway of the season. The plan was to give away 1,500 A Christmas Story-themed bobbleheads featuring Captains mascot Skipper with a bar of soap in his mouth (a nod to the scene in the film in which Ralphie is punished for swearing).
How does this relate to the upcoming Jobu giveaway? The Captains have done bobbleheads for years -- always at a quantity of 1,500 -- so this wasn't new. However, the massive amount of media coverage for the Jobu bobblehead created more demand than anything we'd ever had to deal with before. Tonight's Christmas Story bobblehead gave us a chance to evaluate how we manage the crowd on giveaway nights. In addition, we wanted to make sure that only one bobblehead would be given away per person. It was important to insure that 1,500 different fans would get their very own Jobu.
At Classic Park, we don't allow fans to exit on giveaway nights until all of the giveaway items have been distributed. This is because thousands of people trying to get in, combined with hundreds of people trying to get out to take their giveaway to their car, causes mass confusion at the gates. We instituted this rule several years ago, posting small signs at all entrance gates, and it has made the process of handing out giveaway items go much more smoothly.
During tonight's "Christmas in July" night we had a few people who wanted to leave before the bobbleheads had all been distributed. However, after explaining the process, we were left with only one person who insisted on leaving. He literally forced his way out. We soon saw this same man milling around the main entrance, obviously trying to find a way to get back so that he could obtain a second bobblehead. Our staff pointed him out to the ticket takers stationed at the gate to make sure he didn't sneak back in. Eventually this gentleman left without any further disruption.
Saturday, July 26
Following a 1 p.m. tarp pull, several staff members were discussing the Major League promotion as well as various scenes from the movie. Willie Mays Hayes (the fleet-footed centerfielder from the movie played by Wesley Snipes) soon became the topic of conversation. Specifically, that he purchased 100 pairs of batting gloves -- one for every base he planned to steal. We began brainstorming how to incorporate that into the night and ended up with the idea of selling 100 pairs of batting gloves (cut out of paper) for $1 each. We'd hang them on the wall by our guest services area, with proceeds going to Captains Charities.
Another item I needed to cross off my list was talking to one of our players about Friday's "Hats for Bats" golf head cover promotion. In Major League, Pedro Cerrano (played by Dennis Haysbert) stole a golf head cover from Roger Dorn and placed it on his bat while uttering the line, "Hats for bats. Keep bats warm." We wanted to reference this scene during our game, and I had a player in mind to play the role of Cerrano -- first baseman Nellie Rodriguez. First I ran the idea past Captains manager Mark Budzinski, asking if he'd be okay with Nellie putting a golf head cover on his bat when he came out of the dugout on Friday. He would take his warm-up swings and then throw the autographed golf head cover into the stands. Mark was on board as long as Nellie was. I then talked to Nellie, who loved the idea and said he'd be ready for Friday.
Sunday, July 27
We had a doubleheader scheduled, but the weather forecast didn't look good. Neither game was played, but the brainstorming continued. Captains on-field host and full-time ticket sales executive Andrew Grover is a fellow Major League and Cleveland sports fan, and the two of us talked about other parts of the movie that we could incorporate into the promotion. Andrew jokingly suggested finding a golf cart to use for our relief pitchers, similar to the one used in the movie by Jake Taylor when he chased down his ex-girlfriend Lynn Wells at her apartment. That particular golf cart was shaped like an Indians helmet, which would be a stretch, but getting a normal golf cart was definitely within reason. I immediately e-mailed our contact at Baker Vehicle, the company that provides our grounds crew with equipment, because I knew that they sell golf carts. I asked if they would be willing to loan us a golf cart for the night, in exchange for exposure on the video board during each Captains pitching change.
Monday, July 28
The big night is now less than a week away, and we are feeling the time crunch. There are a lot of last minute details to work out, ranging from signage to on-field promotions to confirming that all of the celebrities we've booked will in fact be in attendance. I received a phone call early in the morning from Campy Russell, former Cleveland Cavalier and current Cavs director of alumni relations, telling me that he wouldn't be able to come to Friday's game as there was a funeral he needed to attend instead. Campy said that he would call some other Cavaliers players who live in the area to see if he could find a replacement. Because of situations such as this, I always like to confirm celebrity appearances two, three, and four times before the event. After talking to Campy, I emailed all of our other celebrity guests to see if they had any last-minute questions.
Later in the day I went down to the playing field to talk with our head groundskeeper, Dan Stricko, about using the golf cart for relief pitchers. He had no problem with it so long as our manager didn't mind. Dan and I looked at the garage area to see if there was room to store the cart during the game, and we decided that it'd be fine. I then asked Mark Budzinski if he'd be ok with this concept. After a chuckle he said that he liked the idea and gave us the green light.
With Friday quickly approaching, I rewrote all my notes for the game and shared them with our promotions manager Drew LaFollette and on-field host Andrew Grover. I needed to make sure that our plans were in place since the team was off Tuesday and both Drew and Andrew had Wednesday off as well. I also made a list of items we still needed to obtain, a list that included a Brandon Weeden jersey, a banner for the main gate, postcards, graphics and thematically appropriate music. We also needed a life-sized cutout of Skipper the mascot, a jar of Crisco and a tube of Vagisil. If you're a fan of Major League, then you'll understand why…
• Read part two on the planning of Lake County's memorable Major League promotion »
• Read part three on the planning of Lake County's memorable Major League promotion »
Benjamin Hill is a reporter for MiLB.com and writes Ben's Biz Blog. Follow Ben on Twitter @bensbiz.


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Rising from the rubble of an old industrial site, the 20,000-seat Toyota Park was supposed to put a small suburb on the map.
Yet the soccer stadium also has become a model of what can go wrong when a little town takes massive development gambles in a state with loose borrowing and ethics laws: Politicians and insiders benefit, while taxpayers are stuck covering budget-busting losses.
The blue-collar suburb of Bridgeview now suffers under the highest rate of debt in the Chicago region, a Tribune analysis of thousands of pages of state and local records found.
To help make its payments, the village has nearly tripled the Bridgeview property tax bill in less than a decade for the town's mostly modest ranch homes and plans to boost that burden far higher.
Residents are left frustrated. "Something has got to give," retired tollway worker Andy Staniszewski said.
The hulking, red-brick Toyota Park rises impressively from the side of gritty Harlem Avenue, its canopies jutting into the sky. The village-owned stadium is not only home to the Chicago Fire, but also hosts major music shows.
And since opening in 2006, it has come up millions of dollars short of making its huge debt payments. The yearly shortfalls are sometimes as big as the town's annual police budget, and they've helped sink the southwest suburb's credit rating to among the Chicago area's worst.
Still, not everyone in town is losing.
The big borrowing created a torrent of cash that, in part, went to companies tied to high-level village employees, the town leaders' political supporters and even companies linked to the mayor's family.
Plus, campaign contributions from those profiting at the stadium have helped bankroll a rarely challenged local political machine that recently elevated its leader, Mayor Steven Landek, to the Illinois Senate. The machine also has put thousands of dollars in rent payments into the mayor's pocket each year.
Landek would not agree to an interview, but in emails, spokesman Ray Hanania blamed the economy for the stadium shortfalls and said nothing was done illegally or unethically. He chided the Tribune for questioning the project.
"Toyota Park has been the best thing to ever happen to Bridgeview. It's brought a new spirit and pride and regional attention," he said. "The Fire is a remarkable team, far better than the Tribune's properties. ..."
Good-government advocates, however, question years of deals involving the soccer stadium that appear rife with conflicts of interest, and financial experts blame the resulting losses on more than a bad economy. Among the critics is H. Woods Bowman, a former state lawmaker and county financial officer who now teaches government finance at DePaul University.
"It's hard to see how it could have turned out much worse than it did," Bowman said.
Bridgeview's story is a sobering reminder for taxpayers across the Chicago region, most of whom live in towns that have almost unlimited power to borrow and tax without voter approval. When ambitious ventures fall flat, generations of taxpayers may pay the price.
It started for Bridgeview residents with a seemingly innocuous vote for "home rule" in 2002 — a vote that many towns have taken. But in Bridgeview's case, that vote would lead to a trail of broken promises, risky gambles and sweetheart deals that helped put the town's 16,446 residents on the hook for more than $230 million.
The promise
The state constitution allows large towns to borrow at will. Small towns need residents' OK for each big project — or, they can get voters to approve "home rule" powers that include nearly unlimited borrowing authority, forever. Landek pushed for the latter in 2002, telling residents it would ensure a "stable future."
The stadium was not mentioned in the village newsletters then. Officials proposed a sales tax hike to ease property taxes. Voters agreed by a 2-to-1 ratio.
But in the ensuing years, Landek and the Village Board began pursuing big buys in the name of economic development, including a struggling sports dome and an aging shopping center.
Behind much of the spending was the pursuit of the Chicago Fire.
The financially struggling Major League Soccer team wanted taxpayers, somewhere in the region, to help build it a stadium.
Researchers have long questioned whether stadiums are good investments for taxpayers. But that didn't stop proposals from Chicago and about a dozen suburbs.
None apparently matched Bridgeview's generosity or the tenacity of its mayor.
The pitch
Landek came armed with decades of experience as a wheeling-and-dealing power broker in business and politics.
Tall, bespectacled and affable, he had worked his way up through the local Democratic Party power structure, while owning a cleaning supplies company, investing in real estate and becoming an executive at the town bank. As he started his second mayoral term in 2003, Landek pitched a reinvention of his town and insisted taxpayers would feel no pain.
Village officials at first said the town would borrow up to $55 million to pay for most, but not all, of the stadium, and investors would assume much of the risk if the stadium didn't make money.
But then the town borrowed more than $100 million, to pay for the entire stadium, and put taxpayers directly on the hook if it didn't turn a profit. And turning a profit would be harder: The final deal called for much of the revenue from soccer games to go to the Chicago Fire.
While such deals can give taxpayers pause, lenders typically see such huge loans as having little risk. That's because state law allows even the smallest of towns with home-rule authority to promise lenders they will jack up taxes, if needed, to pay back loans.
Still, one outside group wasn't too impressed. Standard & Poor's rates how much towns can be trusted to repay loans, and it downgraded Bridgeview because of the deal's "extraordinarily high debt levels."
Landek wouldn't detail why the village chose to spend more and assume more risk. Via email, he said "fluid" negotiations led to a "cutting-edge private and public partnership."
Through it all, officials told residents not to worry.
Longtime trustee Michael Pticek told the Tribune that village-hired experts claimed in reports that, under a worst-case scenario, the town would break even: "We were shown different scenarios, and there was no way we would lose on this thing."
Landek was quoted in the Daily Southtown as calling it "ludicrous" to talk of a scenario in which property taxes would be raised to subsidize the stadium. "Four years of nothing, of the stadium sitting empty, is when we would have to consider raising taxes," he was quoted as saying.
Exactly how those projections were made is unclear. The town did provide the Tribune hundreds of pages of requested records, but for perhaps the most key document — financial studies proving the stadium could make enough money — Landek and the village attorney insisted no such reports existed.
The cash spigot
Once Bridgeview started borrowing the cash, millions flowed to those who contribute to political funds controlled by town leaders.
The Tribune found that people and companies profiting from the stadium have given the mayor's campaign and related funds more than $170,000 since 2004.
The contributors included construction companies, lawyers, security firms and food vendors. They also included the financial team that made hundreds of thousands of dollars to consult on the stadium and assist the heavy borrowing.
One of the financial advisers, Daniel Denys, declined an interview but said in an email that his firm's donations came "without any expectation of reciprocity."
The families of high-ranking employees got deals. The wives of retired fire chief Terrence Lipinski and current chief Anthony Butkus created a company that has been paid at least $788,000 to provide medical staff for stadium events. Butkus defended the wives' deal, saying that both are nurses and that stadium management shopped around before hiring them.
Even companies tied to the mayor's family benefited, selling more than $120,000 in janitorial and vending supplies to the village, with a third of it going to the stadium. Landek didn't directly answer questions about the companies, other than to say he himself has "no ownership interest" in them.
The mayor, however, does own a Summit commercial building and — through rent payments — has benefited from those getting stadium business.
Based at that building is CDK Accounting, which has done work for the village and stadium. Neither Landek nor the firm's owner would disclose how much rent CDK pays to Landek.
Another tenant in that building is the township political fund chaired by Landek. It has paid him rent for years, but state campaign records show it struggled to pay all the rent he sought — at least until the stadium was built. Then, stadium vendor donations rolled in and, through a complex series of transfers, tens of thousands ended up in the township fund, which then paid off much of the back rent. In all, the township fund paid Landek more than $150,000 since 1998.
State law sets few limits on local officials' relationships with contractors or political groups. The law:
•gives local officials wide discretion over who gets contracts, including to firms tied to relatives;
•allows contractors to make political donations to local officials who give contracts;
•allows village officials to receive income from village contractors or political groups.
Still, one good-government advocate, Dick Simpson, called various contracts and campaign donations in Bridgeview "one conflict of interest after another."
Simpson is a former Chicago alderman who now heads the political science department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He said the insider deals in Bridgeview raise questions about whether stadium vendors could be overcharging taxpayers.
Even without ties to contracts, village leaders have benefited from the stadium, Bridgeview records show. They have gotten free use of a village executive suite — with free food and drinks — to see not only soccer games, but name acts such as Jimmy Buffett and Eric Clapton.
Village officials have also used the stadium to throw themselves campaign fundraisers, including an end-of-summer blowout picnic last year in Toyota Park's parking lot. Records show their political fund plunked down $10,000 for food, nearly $5,000 for beer and $3,500 for a mixed-martial arts show.
State law doesn't require the political group to say how much money was brought in from that specific fundraiser. But the group did report it paid the town $1,400 to rent the lot.
Big losses
The fundraiser was among a host of far higher-profile events, from packed rock concerts to Fire games, that have become fodder for town leaders' news releases while sending millions into village coffers.
Problem is, the town owes millions more on the debt.
Buried deep in Bridgeview's financial records are acknowledgments that the stadium has never made enough money to cover its loan payments.
Village officials say the stadium has come up about $11.5 million short of making its debt payments from opening day in 2006 to 2010. A Tribune analysis of the village's audited financial reports shows the shortfall could actually be more than double that amount, depending on which expenses and debt payments are attributed to Toyota Park.
Audits from 2011 aren't yet available, but village officials told S&P; the red ink continued.
To pay for the losses — at least in the short-term — the town borrowed even more, through a complex series of loans and cash transfers.
From the start, officials took out an extra $14 million to cover any shortfalls for a project they insisted would pay for itself. Then, as the stadium lost money, the town borrowed another $50 million in 2008, telling investors much of the newly borrowed cash would be used to cover other stadium debt. And then in 2011, officials borrowed another $22.5 million, setting aside more than half of it to cover old losses and future ones.
Today Bridgeview is suffocating under nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in debt.
All of it was borrowed in ways that require taxpayers to pay it back — even if the projects go south. The Tribune analyzed such "general obligation" loans for each Chicago-area town and compared them to property values, a common way to measure a town's debt load. Bridgeview leads the region, with 11 times the debt rate of the average town.
The debt spiral prompted S&P; to downgrade Bridgeview's credit rating yet again in February. Now, the small suburb has a rating approaching junk status. Just six other Chicagoland towns are rated as bad or worse by S&P.;
"If things don't get better, there is a good likelihood of another downgrade," analyst John Kenward said.
And Bowman, the DePaul finance professor, said: "At some point they're going to hit the wall, and then what do they do? That's where it gets murky."
A promise kept?
The Tribune called or left messages with every village trustee. Only two spoke with reporters. One, Claudette Struzik, said she thought the losses weren't yet a major concern. Another, Pticek, the finance committee chair, said he was sure the stadium would become profitable once the economy improved.
The village wouldn't provide the Tribune any study or detailed projections to support that optimism.
Records show the stadium lost money even before the recession began. It has lost money, year after year, despite often hitting broad benchmarks that were originally touted as a baseline for breaking even: a soccer team, four international soccer events and four concerts a year.
In a statement to the newspaper, Bridgeview officials broadly said the stadium's "collateral benefits have been obvious" and said "our long term prospects are bright."
But in its recent conversations with S&P;, the village suggested it could raise property taxes by as much as $7 million by 2016 to help cover future stadium losses, according to the rating firm's report. That would be in addition to the $11 million Bridgeview got in property taxes last year.
Landek cautioned the Tribune that the proposal was only "one of several considered and discussed with S&P.;" He did not respond to a question about how much higher he expected homeowners' taxes to rise.
A Tribune analysis found the town used to charge the average homeowner among the least of all suburbs. But since the home rule vote, the average homeowner's tax bill for the village more than tripled — despite leaders promising taxes would be "frozen" for eight years with home rule.
Landek says leaders promised in 2002 only to freeze the tax rate, not the amount. That is a huge caveat because of how taxes are computed. A tax rate is multiplied by the property value to get the billed amount. As property values rose over much of the past decade, so did tax bills.
And when property values began dropping, Landek said, that's when the tax pledge expired. So the town was free to raise the tax rate, bringing in even more property-tax money from homes and businesses. Far from residents seeing property tax relief, the village share of the average homeowner's tax bill rose faster than those in almost every other Cook County suburb.
Residents may have a hard time spotting the trend. Deciphering tax bills can be tricky. Most of the total goes to schools, with the village among a dozen or so agencies getting a smaller slice. But when Marilyn Staniszewski recently dug through her bills, she said she was shocked to see the village's spikes.
Records show the Staniszewskis paid the town $291 in 2002, jumping to $449 in 2007, and $984 last year. She nervously awaits this year's final bill — likely to be higher still — and said the town clearly broke its tax pledge.
"This town could do so much better," she said. "Don't raise my taxes when everybody is still struggling."
Political capital
None of Bridgeview's woes was on the agenda for a special meeting last year at the stadium of some of the area's biggest political heavyweights.
Democrats were gathering to pick an appointee to replace retiring state Sen. Louis Viverito.
Presiding over the meeting was longtime House Speaker Michael Madigan, a South Sider who represents much of Bridgeview. He helped Mayor Landek lobby the Fire to come to the south suburbs and joined Landek at one of the first games as the pair stood in the middle of the field, greeting Fire players in front of the home crowd.
Now, Madigan took a quick vote of local party leaders and announced Landek the new senator.
He became senator over parts of more than a half-dozen suburbs, vowing to do for the region what he had done for Bridgeview. With the new role came a $67,000-a-year-paycheck on top of his $39,000-a-year job as Bridgeview mayor.
Within hours of his appointment, a news release was issued to help persuade voters to send him back to Springfield this fall.
There was no mention of Bridgeview's massive debt for the stadium, or the property tax hikes. Instead, the release touted Landek's role in building the stadium.
"Outside of Midway Airport," Landek is quoted as saying, "the Toyota Stadium is one of our region's most important landmarks."
Rising from the rubble of an old industrial site, the 20,000-seat Toyota Park was supposed to put a small suburb on the map.


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DAL Dallas Love Field International Airport Print Map Wall Art
DAL Dallas Love Field International Airport Print Map Wall Art
This poster is for the Dallas Love Field Airport, code DAL.
As a map geek and travel junky, this project is a perfect intersection of my passions. It started to document the Airports I have been through by mapping in a minimalistic way their design. I include more than just the passenger terminals and include freight areas, luggage handling and maintenance facilities that are essential but hidden part of a modern airport.
Also, The IATA code is displayed in characters looking like those on airport departure boards.
This poster is available in different sizes and I will do my best to personalized it if you ever wish to do so. My goal is to offer you a high quality and unique wall art item, so as usual I apply my easy return policy on all this design
5 sizes are available. from 8x10 inches to 24x36 inches. the ratio as lightly different between them but the aspect of the poster is very similar. What you see in pictures is 18x24 posters. If you want to see another size, do not hesitate to contact me!
You can remove Text Section and/or add a 1/4" white border all around the poster if you want it framed. To do so, please include your wish at "note to seller" at checkout. IF you wish another change, just contact me, I will work with you to bring you great Art!
This Design is available in one color only, the "Airport Departure board" Grey. If you wish to get another color, just contact me and I will work with you on a new design!
Your wall art will be printed on museum quality acid-free mat paper. It does offer this minimalist mat finish that I look after. It is also thick, very durable and will last for years. Sorry, but the frame is not included.
Most shipping are done within 3 days of order but some might take up to 5 working days. in US order are shipped by USPS Priority with tracking. for International order, it does take around 2 weeks. You will also receive a tracking number when your poster ships!
I take the quality of my products very seriously. If you any issues with your product, please contact me and I will work swiftly to solve it, including return if necessary. Your satisfaction is my goal!


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After a ski accident during the Alpine world championships in Austria yesterday, Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn is heading back to the States to have surgery after tearing two ligaments in her right knee and breaking a bone in her leg. [USA Today]
Got a thing for Nutella? (And really, who doesn't?) We know it's not a health food, but check out these seventeen guilt-free recipes that'll have you loving the stuff--without your pants tightening too much. [Greatist]
More Instagram Love: The photo-sharing site has redesigned its website, making it easier for users to search, like and view other's photos. (PS: Follow SELF on Instagram!) [Lifehacker]
Did you know that nervous sweat is different than I'm-so-hot sweat? Find out why we tend to perspire when we're feeling pressure. [WSJ]
Bye bye, Saturday letters: Today the USPS has announced they will cease delivering mail on Saturdays, although parcel service will continue. The change is expected to happen this August. [CNN]
OMG! Bridget is back! After 14 years of wondering where our formerly lonely girl was, Bridget Jones is back in a new novel slated to hit shelves in November. [NYTimes]
Image Credit: CN Digital Studio


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Availability: Instant Download
Gokkun is a genre of Japanese adult videos in which young women consume enormous amounts of semen and JM Productions has brought this barbaric ritual to the west with American Gokkun!
Starring: Layla
Running Time: 25 minutes
Download Info: WMV File (2000k bitrate)
Get Flash to see this player.
The short video preview above is a lower quality Flash movie for preview purposes.
Click "Add to Cart" on the left to download entire scene in High Quality.
There is no DRM on this file, you download it, keep it and play it as much as you want in the future...no restrictions at all !!
Download: High Quality WMV File


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If you want exactly what the pros wear, then slip on the David Bote Chicago Cubs Alternate Authentic Jersey.
- COLOR: Royal
- MATERIAL: 100% Polyester
- FIT: Athletic cut
- Official David Bote name and number on back
- Patented mesh Air Belt technology creates air flow, lessen bulk under the pant waist line, and the enhanced stretch helps the jersey stay tucked in
- Engineered decorations are lighter to improve mobility and breathability
- Engineered side panel mesh gussets create critical cooling zones and allow for freedom of movement
- Lightweight fabrics provide enhanced stretch, moisture-wicking and breathability
- Made in the USA
- Officially Licensed by Major League Baseball
- By Majestic
- All available sizes take 10-14 BUSINESS DAYS to produce
- No CHANGES or CANCELLATIONS can be made once this item starts production
- This is a production item and is considered CUSTOM. No returns or exchanges will be accepted for this item


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In the face of a popular revolution spearheaded by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement, Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista flees the island nation. As celebration and chaos intermingled in the Cuban capitol of Havana, U.S. policymakers debated how best to deal with the radical Castro and the ominous rumblings of anti-Americanism in Cuba.
The United States government had supported the American-friendly Batista regime since it came to power in 1952. After Fidel Castro, together with a handful of supporters that included the professional revolutionary Che Guevara, landed in Cuba to unseat Batista in December 1956, the U.S. continued to support Batista. Suspicious of what they believed to be Castro's leftist ideology and fearful that his ultimate goals might include attacks on U.S. investments and properties in Cuba, American officials were nearly unanimous in opposing his revolutionary movement.
Cuban support for Castro's revolution, however, spread and grew in the late 1950s, partially due to his personal charisma and nationalistic rhetoric, but also because of the increasingly rampant corruption, brutality, and inefficiency within the Batista government. This reality forced U.S. policymakers to slowly withdraw their support from Batista and begin a search in Cuba for an alternative to both the dictator and Castro.
American efforts to find a "middle road" between Batista and Castro ultimately failed. On January 1, 1959, Batista and a number of his supporters fled Cuba. Tens of thousands of Cubans (and thousands of Cuban-Americans in the United States) joyously celebrated the end of the dictator's regime. Castro's supporters moved quickly to establish their power. Judge Manuel Urrutia was named as provisional president. Castro and his band of guerrilla fighters triumphantly entered Havana on January 7.
In the years that followed, the U.S. attitude toward the new revolutionary government would move from cautiously suspicious to downright hostile. As the Castro government moved toward a closer relationship with the Soviet Union, and Castro declared himself to be a Marxist-Leninist, relations between the U.S. and Cuba collapsed into mutual enmity, which continued only somewhat abated through the following decades.


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AALL has been working closely with the Southern New England Law Librarians Association (SNELLA), to oppose the announced closure of six of the 15 courthouse libraries in Connecticut. They are jointly sponsoring online petitions to save the courthouse libraries in Bridgeport, Hartford, Litchfield, Milford, and Norwich. The sixth library, at the Willimantic Courthouse, is not staffed, and its small collection will likely be moved to the local public university. Each petition includes a compelling statement by a leader of the local bar association, whose members stand ready to join forces with us. Attorneys and pro se litigants will be deprived of local access to current and historic legal materials, as well as the knowledge and expertise of professional librarians, if we do not stop these proposed closures.
The petitions are open to all residents of Connecticut. Please help spread the word so that our efforts are successful in quickly getting as many signatures as possible to keep these public law libraries open and staffed.
In addition to the petitions, on December 23, AALL and SNELLA sent joint letters to Connecticut's Governor Rell and to the leadership of the Appropriations Committee strongly opposing the decision, which was announced by Judge Barbara M. Quinn, chief court administrator. The closures became necessary, according to Quinn, after the executive branch cut $12.9 million from the budget for the judicial branch.


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Rapha Continental : Java
"The Rapha Continental is about the view from the road less travelled. It is about seeing the land through the eyes of the people you meet, and learning its story through their voices; sharing those intimate, compelling moments you can only discover when you ride."
WORDS: Adam Horler
Java is an intense place. From the minute you step off the plane onto the tarmac in Yogyakarta you are assaulted by the chaos of the people, voices and heat.
Java is a land formed by geological activity but dressed by human hands; here, on the world's most populous island, small farms litter the landscape. The elemental nature of Java is volcanic. The island is dotted with volcanic peaks and is one of the most active spots along the Ring of Fire, that roughly semi-circular line of volcanoes found in the Pacific. Central Java has a chain of eight 'stratovolcanoes', tall conical mountains that run from north to south, one of which, Gunung Merapi, remains very active.
A friend of mine, Bryan Hoare, told me about some riding he'd done around the Javan retreat of MesaStila, which was unlike any other riding in the world. Seven of central Java's stratovolcanoes are within riding distance of MesaStila and to our knowledge, no one has ever ridden around all of them. So we decided we should.
We put our bikes together at Yogyakarta airport, overseen by a crowd of curious locals, and then made our way through the motorcycle-infested streets of the city. We broke free of the traffic onto less congested streets and headed for Borobudur. The ancient Buddhist temple is the reason most people go to Yogyakarta and it's the most visited tourist attraction in Indonesia.
After dismounting, we ascended the famous seven tiers of the temple and were greeted by the sight of several volcanic cones peeping above the mist and greenery of the plain. Pictures can hint at it, film perhaps more so, but to experience the true majesty of the volcanoes around Borobudur you really have to stand before them.
We rode the last 30km of the day in total darkness, with just our bike lights and the flickering headlights of motorbikes accompanying us. Surrounded by the noises and smells of the tropical night, it was one of the more memorable rides I have done banking 1,229m of ascent.
Day one proper brought the first major challenge of the week – attempting to ride up the broken road of Mount Telomoyo. No road bikes had ever ridden up here but before we attempted to be the first we had 1,400m of climbing on Javanese mountain roads to enjoy; and that meant lots of 16-20% gradients.
Telomoyo itself was just about the most fun I've ever had riding up a mountain. The steep pitches, coupled with huge potholes and sections of totally decimated pavement, made for plenty of cursing and toppling over but also plenty of laughing, despite the 40-degree heat of the afternoon.
That evening, a few cassette changes were made. The next day included a loop between another two huge stratovolcanoes, Sumbing and Sindoro, both of which stand at more than 3,000m.
The first climb of day two lifted us 526m, over roughly 10km. After a great descent, made more challenging by kamikaze moped riders pulling out of side roads, we rode around the base of Sindoro to Plantation Road, a thin ribbon of tarmac that rises straight up, between rows of tea bushes into the clouds. As we started the ascent, the rain began to fall, a very welcome gift. It did not rain for long, though, and with the thermostat immediately turned up again, the humidity began to close in.
Climb statistics alone don't do justice to a volcano climb. At 11.2km, Plantation Road rises 838m and has an average gradient of 7.5%. With plenty of sections well above 20%, it offers a brutal test of mental and physical strength. We were rewarded with a great twisting descent and a relatively easy 50km back to our base. That day's ride, 145km and including 3,084m of ascent, ensured we slept well.
Day three was an unknown entity. We were heading up between two more giant volcanoes, Merbabu and Gunung Merapi. The latter is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has been erupting regularly since 1548. It last erupted in 2010, killing 353 people and displacing more than 320,000. Fortunately, every eruption has been in a southerly, seaward direction, and we were passing Merapi to the north and west.
Merbabu was as merciless as Plantation Road, 12km with 841m of elevation, including a horror stretch of 2.3km at an average gradient of 12.5%. By the time four of us had to bow out for the day, we had ridden just 106km but climbed 2,895 punishing metres. The two of our party that were left rode into the night to face the last climb, riding the last 30km over the shoulder of a simmering volcano.


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When it comes to event management, very few rules are set in stone. Because every event is different, each one requires a unique approach. To be a great event manager, then, you need to be as flexible as you are organized. This flexibility is what lets you adapt, learn, and change to make each event better.
Don't just manage an event. Instead, make all of your events legendary with these 10 tips for better event management:
If you're coordinating with an event planner, she might send a list of objectives your way. If not, work with your client to come up with concrete goals for the event. Make these goals as specific as possible. How many cars do you want the parking staff to move each hour? How many questions are you hoping to fit into one question and answer session? Use numbers wherever possible.
The sooner you can confirm the details of an event, the better. Start making calls as much as a year in advance so that you can lock down your venue and take advantage of vendors' early-bird specials. While it's important to make flexible agreements in this early period (you don't, after all, know how many participants to expect yet), reaching out to venues and vendors early on saves you time, money, and headache down the road.
Every event is different. Vendors understand this, which is why many offer custom services with flexible pricing. Instead of asking vendors for a quote, figure out how much you're willing to pay, and then offer the vendor between 5-10% less. This way, even if the vendor negotiates up, you'll stay on budget and, in many cases, save money.
Event management is all about networking. Stay in close contact with the venues and vendors you love to work with. When you need them, they'll be there for you. Keep former colleagues and volunteers close too. Build effective staff and volunteer teams quickly and painlessly by mobilizing your extensive social network.
Don't shy away from new event technology. To get ahead, embrace innovative changes that advance the event experience. There are plenty of ways to integrate new technology and event management:
If you decide to incorporate unfamiliar technology into your event, make sure you have someone on staff who understands the new technology inside and out. Put this person in charge of troubleshooting issues during the event.
Every event, from high-stakes performances to high school award ceremonies, deserves a run through. Schedule a rehearsal—with staff, volunteers, and (if possible) presenters on hand—a week before the event. This leaves you enough time to make significant changes to the event program, but gives staff and volunteers enough time to prepare beforehand. Test all technology during the rehearsal.
The key to managing a great event is understanding the participant's experience. On the day of the event, focus on the participants as much as your duties allow. Read the room. Talk with people. Collect data with real-time feedback surveys.
Take time to debrief with your team after each event. Discuss what went well and what didn't with a group made up of critical staff, all staff, or both staff and volunteers. These debriefing sessions are a great way to get people's impressions and suggestions while the event is still fresh in their minds.
Don't leave participants, staff, or volunteers hanging after they've packed up and gone home. Follow up with each group by email a week after the event. In the email, include a link to a final feedback survey capable of collecting actionable advice by asking questions specific to each group:
Also, send thank you emails to the venue and vendors who made the event possible. Let each party know that you appreciate the hard work they put in and that you want to stay in contact.
Put what you've learned into action by making positive changes after each event. Review the feedback you receive from participants, staff, and volunteers to weed out inefficiencies in your event management style. Here are ways to eliminate a few common issues:


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All parties who appealed their punishments in the New Orleans Saints' "bounty" scandal will have their cases heard Thursday at NFL headquarters in New York, multiple sources said and the league later confirmed.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will listen to appeals from the Saints ($500,000 fine, two lost draft picks), coach Sean Payton (suspension for the 2012 season), general manager Mickey Loomis (eight-game suspension) and assistant head coach Joe Vitt (six-game suspension), according to league spokesman Greg Aiello. Former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, now with the St. Louis Rams, didn't appeal his indefinite suspension.
Goodell, who will hear and rule on the appeals, has said he hopes to expedite the process. There is little thought any discipline would be reduced, but the appeals process could buy all parties more time to chart their futures while punishment is being administered.
Payton has spoken to his old boss, former Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Parcells, about possibly taking over the Saints while he is suspended.
The NFL has yet to rule on the 22 to 27 players cited in the bounty scandal, but discipline could be meted out in the near future. NFL security and league officials met with representatives from the NFL Players Association on Monday to go over evidence.
Goodell said he hopes to receive a recommendation from NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith regarding player discipline before ruling. However, NFLPA sources said Smith might not offer counsel on punishment.
Goodell has sole authority to punish players.
According to the league, Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma offered $10,000 to any New Orleans player who sidelined Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre during the NFC Championship Game in the 2009 season. No other players involved have been publicly identified by the NFL.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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The use of offensive language by Pakistan Foreign Minister S M Qureshi against the Indian Foreign Minister S M Krishna after the talks was a premeditated and calculated stratagem aimed at scuttling the dialogue process to convey a clear message to India that the talks can continue only on its terms. This means that the Kashmir issue must occupy the central position and issues like Siachen, Balochistan and water dispute which concern Pakistan should be given priority over terrorism and other less contentious issues which were earlier agreed upon to create a friendly atmosphere. Qureshi made it clear that the Pak Establishment was not interested in meetings with 'selective agenda'.
In fact, the Pak Establishment has no intention to take action against those who were involved in 26/11 attacks and therefore it does not desire the continuation of the dialogue process.
That this would happen was clearly visible since the talks were resumed in February this year after a hiatus of fourteen months. The Pak anti India rhetoric had become shriller and louder. Soon after the Foreign Secretary level talks, Salman Bashir, the Pak Foreign Secretary dismissed the evidence against Hafiz Md Saeed given by India as literature. Rahman Malik the Interior Minister declared in Washington on 31st July 2009 that India was indulging in baseless propaganda against Pakistan. In recent months, the Pak leaders are projecting that the water issue is creating tension which would further escalate making it difficult to normalize relations between the two countries. Of course, they are blaming India for the "unreasonable" stance on this issue. They have also pointed out India's involvement in Baluchistan and had asserted that Pakistan had the evidence to substantiate this charge. That is another matter that not a shred of evidence has so far been found on India's involvement in Balochistan.
Crucially, during the recent talks, Qureshi unwittingly revealed the real status of Hafiz Md Saeed in the Pak Establishment. His statement drawing parity between G K Pillai, the Indian Home Secretary and Hafiz Md Saeed the chief of Jamaat Ud Dawa-the mother organization of Lashkar e Toiba- exposed that the latter in fact is the head of Pak Establishment's clandestine department meant to export terrorism. The comparison between the inflammatory speeches of Hafiz Saeed with the statement of facts given by Pillai can be justified only if both are occupying comparable positions.
An objective analysis of the Indo- Pak relations shows that whenever efforts were initiated by India to improve the relations between the two countries, the Pak leaders and officials took deliberate steps to derail the process. This also happened earlier after the Mumbai attacks in 1993 when India agreed to start the composite dialogue process and during the Agra Summit. Like this time, in the earlier instances too, the Pak leaders and officials blamed the Indian side for placing obstacles in the process of normalization of relations.
The reason why Pakistan derails the dialogue process every time is quite clear. The Pakistan Army, which determines Pakistan's India policy, does not desire talks between the two countries except on its own terms. The Pak Army's game plan has three planks. First, in the talks the focus should be on the 'core' Kashmir issue and other Pak concerns like the Siachen and Indian involvement in Balochistan, acceptance of Pak view on the water issue, there should be no focus on terrorism and no pressure on taking action against those involved in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Second, to continue to use the tension between the two countries to obtain financial assistance and weapons from the US. And third, to blame India for all its problems as well as for spoiling the environment to normalize relations between India and Pakistan with a view to escalate tension further that allows the Pak Army to perpetuate its rule in Pakistan.
In view of the above, there was a remote possibility of recent Foreign Minister level talks achieving the desired results. Qureshi blamed Pillai for spoiling the atmosphere by revealing the statements given by David Headley on the role of ISI in the Mumbai attacks. The fact is that even if Pillai would not have made this remark, the outcome of the talks would not have been different. Qureshi had also blamed Krishna for being "selective" in talks and for talking on phone to receive instructions from India. However, our Foreign Minister's recent statement that Pillai should not have made this remark on the eve of his visit has provided with a justification for the rude behavior of Qureshi as well as for the failure of talks. The Pak newspapers like' Dawn' and 'Pak Observer' have already included this in their top stories and Rehman Malik has thanked the Indian PM and HM for 'restraining their aide from criticizing Pakistan' indicating that the talks failed mainly because of the negative statement made by Pillai.
Dealing with Pakistan, which is controlled by its armed forces with an adversarial mind set, is not easy. It is essential to accurately assess the situation there so as to understand the possible moves of the Pak Establishment. The National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon, who is privy to all intelligence inputs as well as the interrogation reports of Kasab and David Headley, had rightly assessed that it is the existence of a deep nexus between the Pak based terrorist groups and the Pak Establishment which is making it difficult for India to deal with the problem of terrorism. He further remarked that India had a clearer picture of the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and the system that supports terrorism in that country. He also assessed that the nexus would not be broken soon, indicating that Pakistan would continue to encourage terror groups against India. This assessment is based on the ground realties and needs to be taken seriously.
This raises the significant issue of adequacy of our response to Pakistan, which is supporting terrorism against us. Some political leaders and experts have suggested that the talks with Pakistan should be discontinued. While this step may not be desirable at this stage, India must make it clear that further talks would be contingent on Pakistan taking action against the real culprits involved in the Mumbai attacks and destruction of terrorist infrastructure. Simultaneously, we should undertake an effective publicity campaign to sensitize the international community of the issues involved so that there may not be any pressure from it to continue the dialogue process. In addition, the National Security Council (NSC) should convene a meeting so that all agencies and departments coordinate their actions to follow the agreed line of action. The NSC has been created to evolve an agreed line of action through detailed discussions with all concerned which is not possible in the Cabinet Committee on Security.
The issue of Indo-Pak relations pertains to national security and there is no room for having different opinions or perceptions. We have seen how Pakistan makes use of such differences or remarks made in good faith. Therefore, our officials and political leaders should adopt an extremely cautious approach and avoid giving a certificate of good behavior to Pakistan or making statements that Indo-Pak talks can be delinked with our core issue of terrorism or agreeing to the inclusion of Balochistan or other Pak- centric issues in the agenda. Past incidents underline the Pak Establishment's capability to twist the fact to embarrass India.
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