All's swell that ends swell.

How Barack Obama Is Paving The Way for A Palin Presidency

Like the defiant, segregationist Alabama governor [George Wallace], Palin, the former Alaska governor, speaks the language of the white Southern and suburban voters who fear that the American way of life is under attack from an out-of-touch, Godless, effete and multiracial big-ci …

Musicians ratify new contract with Cleveland Orchestra

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The musicians and management of the Cleveland Orchestra settled their differences Tuesday and put an end to a brief work stoppage, the first at the institution in three decades.

Cleveland Orchestra Strike?: The Musicians Make Their Case

Orchestra members are taking our turn. Our proposal is now on the table to freeze salaries and benefits for one year, at which time the economy will likely have stabilized enough to provide a better framework for future planning and negotiating.

Cleveland Orchestra Musicians Set to go on Strike

"The greatness of the orchestra could hang in the balance."

Jordan and Israel -- prospects for Ecological Cooperation

A visit to the peace "island" between Jordan and Israel which Friends of the Earth -- Middle East is working on converting into an international peace park. Filmed by Saleem H.

China' Rapid Reactor Expansion Raises Safety Concerns - NYTimes.com

SHENZHEN, China — China is preparing to build three times as many nuclear power plants in the coming decade as the rest of the world combined, a breakneck pace with the potential to help slow global warming.

Vine-TV presents: Chanukah!

OK, so, fine, I grew up with Allan Sherman - who of us of a certain age didn'? - and have always had a yen for parody. As my vast fan base - in the middle to high single digits - knows, I had recently published the words. Here it is performed by yours truly. . .

On the First Day of Chanukah. . .

my bubbie gave to me: potato latkes - as it should be! On the second day of Chanukah my Israeli neighbor gave to me: sufganiyot, and potato latkes - as it should be (with sour cream!)

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Initial Reflections from Copenhagen

I arrived in Copenhagen in the middle of the two-week long United Nations Conference on Climate Change and was overwhelmed by the scale of involvement from all professional arenas at this mega-meeting.

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"Half the Sky": A Review for a Muslim audience

Columnists for the New York Times have enormous power of persuasion in their writing but more significantly their impact simply comes from the unique pedestal the paper offers to get an audience of millions worldwide.

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An appreciation: Soupy Sales, hip and elemental |LA Times

We need more Soupys in this self-important, don't-you-dare-throw-that-pie world -- and now there is one less, Soupy Sales having died Thursday at the age of 83.

For Car Buyers, the Brand Romance Is Gone - NYTimes.com

The lesson Ford learned, Mr. Farley said, is that today's car buyer has little use for nostalgia. "I can't tell you how many car clubs I have been to where they own old Mustangs and vintage T-Birds, but they drive Camrys," he said.

Football, dogfighting, and brain damage : The New Yorker

McKee got up and walked across the corridor, back to her office. "There's one last thing," she said. She pulled out a large photographic blowup of a brain-tissue sample. "This is a kid. I'm not allowed to talk about how he died. He was a good student. This is his brain.

Ig Nobel awards given by Annals of Improbable Research | National News - cleveland.com - - cleveland.com

And the prize forPhysics: Katherine Whitcome, Liza Shapiro and Daniel Lieberman for figuring out why pregnant women don't tip over.

Exercise vs. counting calories as weight-loss strategy -- latimes.com

We routinely overestimate the number of calories we spend in physical activity and underestimate the calories from food. For instance, when I swim hard for an hour, which I do regularly, I probably use up 400 to 600 calories.

Big Food vs. Big Insurance - Michael Pollan

To put it more bluntly, the government is putting itself in the uncomfortable position of subsidizing both the costs of treating Type 2 diabetes and the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup.

Female orgasms and a 'rule of thumb' -- latimes.com

Too much information? Or just enough?

China Seeks Dominance in Clean Energy - NYTimes.com

China has built the world's largest solar panel manufacturing industry by exporting over 95 percent of its output to the United States and Europe.

Why Michael Jackson DancedLike No One Else | Culture Monster | Los Angeles Times

But if he didn't want to look like himself, he always danced liked no one else. That was his triumph.

In which David Brooks suggests that taxes must be raised - yes, David Brooks!

The members of the political class face a set of monumental tasks. First, they have to persuade a country to postpone gratification for the sake of rebuilding the country. This country hasn't accepted sacrifice in 50 years.

Michael Gerson - Obama vs. the Deniers - washingtonpost.com

Obama seldom chooses to be a participant in ideological struggles. He aspires to be history's referee.

Two States for Spoiled Brats - Haaretz - Israel News

As with parents who become more and more indulgent the more clueless they realize they actually are - and the more out of control their kids get - Washington and the world have allowed Israel and the Palestinians both to run off the rails in whatever direction they happen to see  …

New York rabbi, imam denounce violence after bomb plot exposed - Haaretz - Israel News

Two New York-area religious leaders, Muslim cleric Shamsi Ali and Orthodox Rabbi Marc Schneier, issued a joint condemnation of violence Thursday after authorities arrested four men over a plot to bomb local Jewish centers.

Gaza doctor whose family were killed by IDF fundraises for Israeli hospital - Haaretz - Israel News

"I lost three precious daughters, but I have another five [children]" he said. "I have a future, I have my people, and hatred and revenge can be driven out by love and wisdom."

Jewish schools beg for teachers, while 8,000 Arab teachers beg for jobs - Haaretz - Israel News

Nearly half of unemployed Israeli Arab teachers would be willing to teach in Jewish schools and over half of Israeli Jewish parents have no objections to Arab teachers in their children's schools, according to a poll published yesterday.

About urbane gorilla

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Seventh Inning Adventist. If I ruled the world, everything would grind to a halt for weekday afternoon baseball.

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