A Montgomery Independent story from last Friday shows that the Alabama House of Representatives has spent $136,000 of public money to pay for research, writing, and editing on the book. The Independent also pointed to signs that Hubbard had signed off on the use of public funds for a book that glorifies him and the Republican Party.
Someone apparently did not want that story to receive too much exposure; it quickly was pulled from the Independent's slot at al.com--and has not returned.?The fine folks at alabamacorruption.blogspot.com?(also known as Vincent Confidential) were on the ball and copied the article before it disappeared.
That led to an enlightening post yesterday:
"Disappearing Ink--Al.com Vaporizes Montgomery Independent Story Critical of House Speaker Hubbard's Planned Book "Storm in the State House"
Why would the elites who control Alabama's mainstream press want to keep the Hubbard story under wraps? Probably because it shines light on the cozy relationship that Hubbard and other Alabama GOPers have with the Swatek Azbell Howe & Ross?(SAHR) lobbying firm of Montgomery.
How stench-inducing is that relationship? Vincent Confidential (VC) spells it out?
For a brief time on October 21, 2011, a potentially explosive story ran on Al.com entitled ?Researcher For Hubbard Book Paid By House.? The Montgomery Independent authored the story, based on information from Inside Alabama Politics, that revealed David Azbell of Swatek, Azbell, Howe & Ross had collected $136,000 of public money via an authorization from the Alabama House of Representatives and presumably green-lighted from the likely source of Mike Hubbard.Azbell had been (and may still be) acting as a consultant with Hubbard on the book charged with the duties of ?research, editing and writing.? From 2007 until March of this year, Azbell was collecting $2,000 per month for ?public relations work for the House Republican Caucus ." In March of 2011, the sum jumped four fold to $8,000 per month for duties unclear to the Montgomery Independent before deadline of the story prior to the October 21st publication.
As suddenly as the story appeared, it quickly disappeared.
Fortunately, our friends at VC do want to educate the public. And they put the GOP scam in perspective:
Azbell?s deal with Hubbard seems to suggest that cronyism is alive and well in the Republican controlled state house despite Mike Hubbard himself lambasting the democrats for the same sins the ?shakedown Alabama? crowd, led by the virtuous as a pole cat Hubbard, are perpetrating against the public:?For the past 136 years, Alabama Democrats have held the majority in both the Alabama House and Senate. And what have we gotten in return? They have given us a substandard education system, rampant government corruption, wasteful spending. . . . ?If you believe . . . ?our public officials are honest and squeaky clean and all of your hard-earned tax dollars are being spent wisely, nothing I can write in this column can convince you we need a change."
The winds of change Mr. Hubbard and the Republicans promised Alabamians seem to be more of the same old ill winds than the cleansing breeze heralding a bright and promising "new day of ethics and accountability in Alabama."
We do need a change, but we got shorted on our investment by putting our faith in Hubbard and Co. Perhaps he has a good explanation for using taxpayer money to publish his rah rah propaganda book, but we're hard pressed to imagine one no matter how you look at it.
Hubbard's choice of Azbell and the timeline of his 'contract' with the House is interesting to ponder. According to the Montgomery Independent story, Hubbard's book has been in the works since 2007. Swatek, Azbell, Howe & Ross formed their political powerhouse group that same year touting itself as an organization of "credibility, integrity and ethics that we think is important in this new day in Montgomery" and who think they are "better" than anyone else at "tackling this thing" known as Alabama politics.
This is the guy whose father, Pelham attorney William E. Swatek, has a 30-year record of unethical acts with the Alabama State Bar. We summed up Bill Swatek's distinguished career in the following post (and Dax is an apple that did not fall far from the tree):
Bill Swatek: A Portrait of Alabama Sleaze in the Age of Rove
After you view the Dax Swatek video below, and manage to stop guffawing, you probably will want to take a long, hot shower. In the meantime, let's consider a few questions about Mike Hubbard's sweet deal with SAHR:
* Is it a crime to take public funds and use them for a private venture?
* If so, which statutes (federal or state?) were violated?
* What kind of punishment could someone receive for violating such statutes?
* How does the behavior in the Hubbard/book story compare with the case of former Gov. Guy Hunt? In the 1990s, Hunt was prosecuted and convicted for taking campaign funds and using them on personal items. Do the actions of Hubbard and Co. at least equal Hunt's transgressions? Could they be worse?
* If the Alabama Ethics Commission found probable cause that Hunt violated the law, what would it find regarding the actions of Hubbard, Azbell, Swatek, and others?
Source: http://legalschnauzer.blogspot.com/2011/10/taxpayers-are-picking-up-tab-for.html
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APFor years, Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden was regarded as a guy who was riding his brother?s coattails.? The younger brother of Jon Gruden began his coaching career in the Arena Football League, and even though he won a pair of titles with the Orlando Preadtors, the perception was that the Gruden brothers occupied two different planes in the coaching hierarchy ? especially since Jon Gruden gave Jay Gruden a position on the Buccaneers? staff from 2002 through 2008, and no one else ever offered Jay Gruden an NFL shot, in any capacity.
That changed this year, in large part because Jay Gruden finally was willing to move from the Orlando/Tampa area.? (Most recently, Jay Gruden coached the soon-to-be defunct UFL?s already-defunct Florida Tuskers.)? The Panthers considered him for the job of quarterbacks coach, and then Bengals coach Marvin Lewis pulled off a stunner, hiring Jay Gruden to be the team?s offensive coordinator.
Now, with the Bengals at 4-2 and Jay Gruden presiding over an offense being driven by the rookie quarterback and rookie receiver, the buzz is building for Jay Gruden to become an NFL head coach.
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel has become the first person to make the case for Jay to be considered for a top job in football?s top league.? ?I have a long way to go before that happens,? Jay Gruden told Bianchi.? ?I?m just trying to figure out a way to beat Seattle in our next game.? I don?t think about what might be four or five years down the road.? I?ve never worried about any job except the one I have.?
But will it be four or five years down the road?? Another guy who worked Jon Gruden?s staff, Mike Tomlin, became a head coach after only one year as a defensive coordinator in Minnesota.? And the success of the Harbaugh brothers and the Ryan brothers will cause more and more people to think that Jay Gruden can thrive in the NFL, too, just like Jon did.
And so, eventually, nearly 20 percent of the league?s 32 teams could be run by a trio of brother acts:? the Harbaughs, the Ryans, and the Grudens.
Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/22/bradford-out-feeley-in-for-rams/related/
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Rome is mounting a major clean-up operation after flash floods hit the capital causing major traffic disruption, damage and one dead.
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Stockbyte/Thinkstock(BRUSSELS) -- More protests were staged across Europe as finance ministers meet in Brussels.
As European finance ministers reportedly made progress on a plan to keep Europe from default and protect investors, demonstrators protesting against the powers of big banks took to the street in Germany.?
In Berlin there were clashes with police by the Brandenburg Gate. In Madrid teachers and parents protested against education cuts.
As one placard in Madrid read, "Our hopes for the future were never more gloomy."
Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio?
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MUMBAI, India ? More than 200 Indian girls whose names mean "unwanted" in Hindi have chosen new names for a fresh start in life.
A central Indian district held a renaming ceremony Saturday that it hopes will give the girls new dignity and help fight widespread gender discrimination that gives India a skewed gender ratio, with far more boys than girls.
The 285 girls ? wearing their best outfits with barrettes, braids and bows in their hair ? lined up to receive certificates with their new names along with small flower bouquets from Satara district officials in Maharashtra state.
In shedding names like "Nakusa" or "Nakushi," which mean "unwanted" in Hindi, some girls chose to name themselves after Bollywood stars such as "Aishwarya" or Hindu goddesses like "Savitri." Some just wanted traditional names with happier meanings, such as "Vaishali," or "prosperous, beautiful and good."
"Now in school, my classmates and friends will be calling me this new name, and that makes me very happy," said a 15-year-old girl who had been named Nakusa by a grandfather disappointed by her birth. She chose the new name "Ashmita," which means "very tough" or "rock hard" in Hindi.
The plight of girls in India came to a focus after this year's census showed the nation's sex ratio had dropped over the past decade from 927 girls for every 1,000 boys under the age of 6 to 914.
Maharashtra state's ratio is well below that, with just 883 girls for every 1,000 boys ? down from 913 a decade ago. In the district of Satara, it is even lower, at 881.
Such ratios are the result of abortions of female fetuses, or just sheer neglect leading to a higher death rate among girls. The problem is so serious in India that hospitals are legally banned from revealing the gender of an unborn fetus in order to prevent sex-selective abortions, though evidence suggests the information gets out.
Part of the reason Indians favor sons is the enormous expense of marrying off girls. Families often go into debt arranging marriages and paying for elaborate dowries. A boy, on the other hand, will one day bring home a bride and dowry. Hindu custom also dictates that only sons can light their parents' funeral pyres.
Over the years, and again now, efforts have been made to fight the discrimination.
"Nakusa is a very negative name as far as female discrimination is concerned," said Satara district health officer Dr. Bhagwan Pawar, who came up with the idea for the renaming ceremony.
Other incentives, announced by federal or state governments every few years, include free meals and free education to encourage people to take care of their girls, and even cash bonuses for families with girls who graduate from high school.
Activists say the name "unwanted," which is widely given to girls across India, gives them the feeling they are worthless and a burden.
"When the child thinks about it, you know, 'My mom, my dad, and all my relatives and society call me unwanted,' she will feel very bad and depressed," said Sudha Kankaria of the organization Save the Girl Child. But giving these girls new names is only the beginning, she said.
"We have to take care of the girls, their education and even financial and social security, or again the cycle is going to repeat," she said.
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WARSAW, Poland ? The euro has proven "a great success" despite the debt problems gripping some countries that use it, the outgoing head of the European Central Bank said Friday. A top Polish financial official, meanwhile, insisted his country remains keen on adopting the currency.
The optimism expressed by ECB head Jean-Claude Trichet and Poland's central bank chief Marek Belka comes amid growing concern about the viability of the euro due to the financial problems gripping Greece, Italy and Spain and other European nations.
"The euro as a currency is a great success indeed," Trichet said during a conference in Warsaw organized by the National Bank of Poland. He said the currency remains credible because "it is backed by remarkable fundamentals."
Trichet, who is retiring, has often argued that what Europe is seeing is not a crisis of the euro currency, but one of government finances. He repeated that view in Warsaw, saying that times are difficult and that governments must work hard to get their finances in order.
He also defended a new bailout for Greece that requires more restructuring, calling it "the best way to get sustainable growth and job creation."
Belka said that although it is impossible to ignore the crisis in Europe, "Poland remains strongly committed to joining the euro area." But he added that "it wouldn't be wise to determine a specific date" at this point, though Poland must continue to prepare itself for the eventual change.
Several years ago Poland had set 2012 as its target date for switching its zloty to the euro, but then began speaking of 2015 as troubles in Greece and elsewhere deepened. More recently, however, officials says it's impossible to set specific date and that they want to see stability return first.
Poland also does not yet meet many of the criteria for joining, with its high budget deficit among one of its key problems.
Belka said a recent proposal floated by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for a "Eurasian Union" of former Soviet nations attests to the success of the 27-member European Union, which is now an "example" for other parts of the world.
"It shows how contagious the idea of the European Union is," Belka said. "We should be satisfied and proud."
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His fourth time nominated was the charm for British novelist Julian Barnes, winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize.
Literary lion and four-time Booker nominee who once dismissed the prize as ?posh bingo,? Julian Barnes won the 43rd annual Man Booker Prize, one of Britain?s premier book prizes, for his book ?The Sense of an Ending,? judges announced Tuesday in London.
Skip to next paragraph?Julian Barnes' The Sense of an Ending has the markings of a classic of English Literature,? said Dame Stella Rimington, chair of the 2011 judges, at the announcement in London?s Guildhall. ?It is exquisitely written, subtly plotted and reveals new depths with each reading.?
?The Sense of an Ending,? Mr. Barnes?s first novel after six years, became a bestseller in the UK immediately upon publication. Writes the Booker Committee: ?It is the story of a seemingly ordinary man who, when revisiting his past in later life, discovers that the memories he holds are less than perfect. Laced with trademark precision, dexterity and insight, this is the work of one of the world's most distinguished writers.?
The Man Booker Prize is awarded for the best work of fiction by an author from the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. The winner receives a check for ?50,000 ($79,000), a flurry of media attention, and is guaranteed a major boost in sales.
Barnes, 65, has authored ten previous novels, three books of short stories, and three collections of journalism. His work has been translated into more than 30 languages and he has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize four times, in all.
Barnes?s was one of six books shortlisted for the prestigious prize. Others included Carol Birch?s ?Jamrach?s Menagerie,? Patrick deWitt?s ?The Sisters Brothers,? Esi Edugyan?s ?Half Blood Blues,? Stephen Kelman?s ?Pigeon English,? and ?A.D. Miller?s ?Snowdrops.?
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/QbXTry0Webg/Finally-a-Booker-Prize-win-for-Julian-Barnes